A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 676

As far as Darleen knew, the orphanage had provided a decent environment. Starla had received multiple adoption offers but had refused them all, choosing to stay.

Starla’s gaze turned icy. "The relocation payout for our old house was a substantial amount. Tell me, do you think I'd rather grow up with my own mother, or in an orphanage?"

Darleen fell dead silent. There was nothing she could say to that.

Finally, she murmured, "So... this really will never end, will it?"

This time, Starla didn't answer. She simply stared at Darleen with cold, unyielding silence. That very silence felt like a noose tightening around Darleen's throat.

"What if I die?" Darleen suddenly asked. "Would you let everyone else go?"

Everyone else... the only people she truly wanted to protect were Xenia and Fairfax. Since she was the primary target, maybe her death could buy their peace.

She was wrong. Starla despised her, but she despised the entire family just as much.

"Your death wouldn't change a thing," Starla replied smoothly. "You committed those crimes for the sake of the Yelchin family. The debt falls on you, but it also falls on them. Dragging them down isn't exactly unwarranted."

"I did it alone!" Darleen pleaded desperately. "I wanted to prove myself so the old man would give Harley the company. It was all my doing! Please, let them go!"

Starla paused, letting the words sink in. "Oh, by the way, Felix is the one who orchestrated Faraday's death. Eventually, Brinley and Felix would have teamed up, killed Fairfax, and taken the entire Yelchin Group for themselves. The whole family would have been slaughtered like naive lambs. Shouldn't you be on your knees in gratitude?"

Darleen’s chest heaved. Between Starla openly flaunting her relationship with Herbert and Brinley carrying Felix's child, the Yelchins had been humiliated beyond repair.

"Gratitude? Ha!" Darleen spat, unable to suppress her venom any longer. "Even without Brinley's mess, it's not like you're destined for a fairy-tale ending! Herbert practically sold you to Kael Shipley! The man has a wife! Do you really think a married man is going to protect you forever? Once his wife finds out about you, your ending will be far worse than mine!"

She hadn't wanted to provoke Starla further, but the endless, suffocating despair made her snap.