A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 645

All day long!

Annika and Harley took turns bombarding Darleen with calls, ruthlessly branding her the destroyer of the Yelchin legacy.

The cadet branch of the Yelchin family quickly caught wind of the situation, and soon, their hateful calls flooded in as well.

Listening to an endless barrage of accusations was pure torture for Darleen.

Furious, Xenia screamed back at them over the phone. "Don't cross the line! You act like you're saints to your own daughters-in-law!"

"When my mother was making Starla's life hell, you were all perfectly happy to sit back and watch the show! Not one of you stepped up to defend her!"

"Now that everything's falling apart, you conveniently dump all the blame on my mom!"

The relentless calls were driving Xenia insane, but she wasn't wrong.

The extended relatives had always loved the drama. Darleen's mistreatment of Starla had been their favorite gossip over coffee. They had happily enjoyed the show, but now that it was time to pay the piper, they wanted no part of the bill. The hypocrisy was staggering.

"Your mother doomed this family! And you're no better, Xenia. Playing the greedy sister-in-law and stealing her property? I've never seen anyone so utterly shameless!"

It was one of the aunts from the cadet branch of the Yelchin family.

Xenia trembled with rage. "You're taking this too far!"

"Tell your mother to get on her knees and beg for Starla's forgiveness! We're all sinking because of her!"

The line went dead.

It was just another dial tone in a day filled with them. Darleen had spent the last twelve hours either scrubbing floors or being viciously cursed at.

She felt completely numb, stripped of all warmth.

"Mom," Xenia ventured tentatively, "maybe you should just swallow your pride and apologize?"

The sharp crack echoed in the room.

Brinley's head snapped to the side, her ears ringing. She stared at Darleen, pure venom flashing in her eyes.

"You dare hit me?"

She couldn't believe it. Darleen was the admitted destroyer of the family, yet she still had the nerve to act like the matriarch? A sinner this self-righteous was truly a sight to behold.

"I hit you because I can," Darleen snarled. "You think you're still the precious Seabrook heiress? The Seabrook family is finished—they're worse off than we are! Don't you dare put on airs with me!"

The brutal reminder drained the blood from Brinley's face. Seething, she shot Darleen one last venomous glare before spinning on her heel and storming out.

Xenia hurried forward, grabbing her mother's arm. "Mom!"

"That little tramp," Darleen hissed. "I won't let her walk all over me. Let's see if she can sink her claws into someone like Herbert Farley the way Starla did!"