A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 781

Herbert's gaze deepened when Starla casually mentioned Brinley Seabrook, as if searching her eyes for a hidden motive. Yet, she revealed nothing.

"Why ask about her all of a sudden?" he asked.

"Just curious. After all, I wouldn't exactly be thrilled to see her living happily ever after," she replied smoothly, though it was an understatement. Given everything Brinley and her mother had put her through, Starla harbored a visceral hatred for them.

"Don't worry," Herbert assured her. "She won't get a happy ending. In fact, her fate will be much worse than the Yelchin family's."

"Is that right?"

"Absolutely." He studied her face again, trying to gauge if she knew something, but her expression remained perfectly masked.

A soft smile graced her lips. "I'm full. Reba and I are heading out; take your time."

Herbert nodded.

From the moment she left the dining room until she slid into the car, her heart drummed an anxious rhythm against her ribs.

Glancing in the rearview mirror, Reba asked, "Is something on your mind?"

"It's nothing. Whatever it is, the truth always comes out eventually." She knew time would expose why he had helped her enemy. But a heavy question lingered—why him? Herbert had been her steadfast anchor back in Marina City during her brutal war against the Yelchins. Just when the dust had seemingly settled, he had extended a lifeline to Brinley. It felt like a betrayal.

"What's on the agenda today?" Starla asked, hoping to distract herself as the car bounced along another rough, unfamiliar road.

"Aviation," Reba stated simply.

Frowning, Starla dialed her friend.

"He just called me," she said the moment Tanya picked up.

There was a heavy pause on the line before a melancholic sigh filtered through. "What did he say?"

"He asked if you'd reached out to me."

"I told him about the hundred bucks," Tanya confessed, a hint of resignation in her voice.

Starla was mildly surprised; Tanya usually kept her relationship drama, especially anything involving his family, strictly under wraps.