A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 1230

"Herbert," Starla began.

"Why can't you let him go?" Herbert interrupted, his voice laced with frost. "For Brinley, for his family—have you forgotten how deeply he scarred you?"

"I haven't forgotten."

"Then why the hell are you going back?"

The tension between them was razor-sharp.

"Because," Starla said quietly, "one of us has to die."

Herbert stared at her, stunned. "Die?"

"Haven't you noticed? Fairfax and I have reached the absolute end of the line. It's a fight to the death now."

It didn't matter how passionately they had loved each other in the past, or how many obstacles they had crushed to be together. Now, they were locked in a fatal orbit. One of them had to perish for this nightmare to finally conclude.

"A fight to the death?" Herbert echoed.

"Yes. After everything that's happened, only blood will stop this. One of us has to die for the cycle to break."

Herbert's heart began to hammer wildly against his ribs. His tightly clenched fists slowly loosened. "And who do you think that should be?"

Though his posture relaxed slightly, the question was spoken through gritted teeth.

Starla didn't answer.

She wanted to abandon everything. Looking at her hollow expression, his heart bled. He had orchestrated all of this because he wanted her to be happy, to live out the rest of her days in the peaceful sanctuary she had always craved.

Why had it turned into this?

He thought time would heal her wounds. He believed that if he gave her enough time, she would eventually drop her resentment and accept him, and they would spend their lives together.

But time hadn't healed anything. By his side, she had only withered away.

"Starla..." Why did it have to end up like this?

He had tried so hard. Yet she would rather walk into the jaws of Fairfax's hatred and throw her life away than stay. She could have chosen to vanish somewhere else, a place where no one would ever find her. But she was abandoning everything she ever wanted.

Was staying by his side truly that despairing for her?