A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 525

Fairfax had just gotten back into the car when his phone rang.

It was Xenia.

The moment he answered, he was met with hysterical sobs. "Fairfax! Mom fainted! You have to come back!"

"What happened?"

"She collapsed, and they threw cold water on her! It's freezing out here! She can't take this!" Xenia cried, her voice cracking with panic.

Fairfax's blood boiled. "Get us home, now!" he roared at Gabriel.

"Yes, sir."

He had barely hung up with Xenia when another call came in. This time it was Sally, Brinley's maid.

"Mr. Yelchin," she said, her voice frantic, "Ms. Brinley fell into the lake while she was washing the carpets! They won't let her come inside to change her clothes! They're trying to let her freeze to death!"

In this weather, that was no exaggeration; it was a matter of life and death. Sally had pleaded with them, but they wouldn't listen, leaving her no choice but to call Fairfax.

A fresh wave of fury washed over him. "Weren't the carpets just washed? Why is she washing them again?"

"They made her," Sally explained helplessly. Starla's people operated without reason. They did whatever they wanted. The indoor chores had been humiliating, but at least they had been warm. This was no longer just psychological torment; it was physical torture.

Fairfax ended the call and immediately dialed Starla.

To her credit, she always answered his calls. The phone rang twice before she picked up.

"What? Making them do a few chores is abuse now? It's a big house; someone has to clean it. I certainly don't want to, so they can do it," she said, her tone sharp. "Funny, I don't remember you saying a word when they made me do these things. But now that it's their turn, you suddenly have an opinion? Or is it that you're just worried about your precious Brinley?"

"Enough!" Fairfax roared. He couldn't stand hearing his name linked with Brinley's anymore, not after learning about her and Felix. The thought of it made him sick.

"Enough of what?" Starla's voice was like ice. "You refused to sign the divorce papers I offered. This is just the beginning. The real suffering starts now."

He finally recognized this wasn't some childish game. It was a calculated, brutal campaign to break their will, piece by piece.

"Just let them go inside and change their clothes," he pleaded, his anger giving way to desperation.

"The divorce papers," she said, her voice transactional. "Will you sign them?"

"Starla!" he bellowed, his voice raw with fury.