A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 1216

She had been distant before, but never this freezing.

"You're not planning on going back to Maxlandia, are you?" Herbert demanded.

So... even after everything that went down with Fairfax, just hearing that he was carried out of the Hoggart Castle on a stretcher was enough to make her panic?

Starla paused for a fraction of a second. She didn't answer. She yanked her arm free and kept walking, leaving him behind.

Herbert didn't chase after her, but the aura radiating from him grew dangerously dark.

Rudolf stepped into the room. "Sir."

"Keep an eye on her," Herbert ordered.

He meant Starla. The moment she heard about Fairfax, her entire demeanor had shifted. He had genuinely believed that by choosing death, she had severed all emotional ties to the man. Now, he wasn't so sure.

"Understood," Rudolf nodded and slipped out.

Left alone, Herbert lit a cigarette, taking a harsh, irritated drag.

When Romy strolled in, she found him enveloped in a cloud of smoke and frustration.

"You know what they say," Romy drawled, her tone dripping with mockery. "Things you steal never truly belong to you."

Herbert's face hardened. He shot her a glare so lethal it could have frozen blood.

"Am I wrong?" she challenged playfully.

The murderous intent that had been simmering in Herbert suddenly flared into a terrifying, suffocating pressure. The two locked eyes in a silent war.

"What exactly is your game?" Herbert finally asked, his voice a low rumble.

"I told you, I came here for you!" she said with a bright smile.

He scoffed. "You expect me to buy that garbage?"

There was absolutely nothing about her that suggested she was here out of affection. But her refusal to show her hand made her a wild card he couldn't easily eliminate. A girl didn't survive in the brutal underworld of Cyrus Sea for years without being exceptionally cunning. If she dared to waltz into Smaro Town and threaten his sanctuary, she was definitely prepared for the fallout.

...

Meanwhile, Starla’s health was still fragile, though the warmer weather had brought some relief. The bitter winter had been brutal, especially on her old injuries, which always flared up when the barometric pressure dropped.