A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 222

"Do I really seem like that kind of person to you?" Starla asked, her voice tight.

"You want a divorce," Tanya stated simply.

"Yes, I want a divorce, but I wouldn't…" Starla scoffed. Did Tanya really think she'd resort to using Brinley's child to threaten Fairfax?

"Fairfax feels a huge responsibility for Faraday's children," Tanya reminded her gently. "Now that Faraday's gone, everyone knows he'll look after them for the rest of their lives. Using them against him right now… it would be like playing with fire."

If he were pushed too far, he could snap, and Starla would be the one to suffer the consequences.

"I'm not afraid of him," Starla retorted.

"I know you aren't. You're a princess of the Hoggart family. But you're in Marina City right now, not Yoran Country. If you were back home, you could do whatever you wanted and he couldn't touch you. But here… don't make things more complicated than they already are." The most important thing was to finalize the divorce and get back to Yoran Country.

Hearing the phrase 'more complicated,' Starla sighed. "I know." That bastard was refusing to grant her a divorce, no matter what.

"So, the Yelchins are blaming you for this, aren't they?" Tanya asked.

"You have no idea," Starla replied. Both Brinley and Darleen had already called, demanding she return the child as if she'd eaten her.

Tanya let out a sharp hiss of breath, audible even over the phone. "So, even if you didn't do it, you're getting blamed for it?"

"Exactly. So what's the difference?"

…

Meanwhile, at the hospital.

Fairfax strode directly into the security office. Darleen and Brinley followed close behind. The hospital administration, including the director and other key personnel, were already there, frantically reviewing surveillance footage. In a place with so much foot traffic, finding a suspect was proving difficult.

Brinley was sobbing, her body wracked with grief.

Fairfax's voice was a low growl. "When did the baby go missing?"