A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 1234

A dark, icy glint flashed through Romy's eyes as a memory surfaced.

It was gone in a second, but Starla caught it.

"Care?" Starla echoed bitterly.

If there was one thing she had completely lost faith in, it was love.

Romy claimed Herbert cared about her. But didn't they all? Fairfax had cared for her, in his own twisted, conditional way. Affection was rarely ever pure. It was always fragmented, stained by ulterior motives, and she was done expecting anything whole from anyone.

...

Meanwhile, Herbert's sudden reappearance in Marina City sent shockwaves through the elite circles. Everything they had speculated about was quickly proving true.

Back at the Hoggart estate.

Susanna remained entirely emotionally shut down toward Yardley. Consequently, his overbearing, tyrannical attitude had dialed back significantly.

His previous cruelty had been fueled by a deep-seated hatred for the Yelchin family. But now that the truth was out—that the evidence had been doctored and the entire feud was built on a lie—he was experiencing something entirely new: guilt.

His actions had caused irreversible damage.

When he found out that the fake intel had come straight from Herbert's camp, his fury had reached a boiling point.

"She refused to eat again?" Yardley asked, his voice chilling the room.

The maid nodded nervously. "Yes, sir."

Yardley's eyes darkened as he took a drag from his cigar. The staff stood frozen in terror. Finally, he stubbed it out and strode directly to Susanna's room.

Ever since her brother had been shipped back to Marina City, she had been heavily depressed, refusing to leave her room and barely touching her meals.

He pushed the door open.

He placed a bowl of warm seafood soup in front of her. "Eat."

It was a single word, heavy with a veiled threat.

Susanna stared at the bowl, then slowly looked up at him. "Why did Herbert go back to Marina City?"

So that was it. She wasn't eating because she had heard the news.

In the past, Herbert's movements wouldn't have bothered her. But things were different now. Herbert and Fairfax were on a collision course because of Starla. Herbert returning to the city meant Fairfax was in imminent danger.

And more importantly...

"Starla's still alive, isn't she?" Susanna asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Yardley's jaw tightened. He said nothing.