A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 813

The silence that settled over the room was suffocating.

Starla stared at him, enunciating every word. "Why?"

Why had he helped her? He knew exactly how much Starla wanted Brinley dead. He had seen the raw, unadulterated hatred in her eyes. Back in Marina City, no one could have stopped her. Everyone knew she wanted Brinley's life.

It was supposed to be over. Her return to Yoran Country was supposed to mark the end of the Marina City chapter. The Yelchin family had been dealt with. But Brinley...

Brinley, who was supposed to meet her end with the rest of them, was currently living comfortably in a villa at Celestial Bay. And the worst part was...

"You helped her, but you put everything under Fairfax's name," Starla said, cutting right to the heart of the issue.

Under Fairfax's name. The property at Celestial Bay was registered to Fairfax Yelchin. What did that mean?

Herbert met her gaze. "So you think I orchestrated everything Fairfax put you through? That I set him up?"

"I'm asking why you used his name to protect her."

She wasn't confusing the past with the present; she had enough clarity for that. She just wanted to know why he was protecting her at all. Using Fairfax's name was just a piece of the puzzle. The real question was the motive.

"I already told you why," Herbert replied quietly.

Because Brinley was his father's mistress? "I don't believe that," Starla said softly.

Ever since she found out Herbert was the one pulling the strings, her patience had been worn down to nothing. She knew confronting him now might tip him off, but she couldn't hold it in any longer. She was done playing games.

"You don't believe me?" he asked.

But as she laid down her demand, the look in Herbert's eyes darkened. He didn't say a word. Their eyes locked in a silent, heavy standoff.

His silence made her heart clench. "You won't do it?"

He couldn't even just kick her out? Was he planning to protect her until the very end?

Herbert leaned forward, resting his cigar on the low table between them. "I'm sorry."

Starla felt the floor drop out from under her.

He was sorry? That meant he wasn't going to do it. He was choosing to protect Brinley over her.

She stared at him, her vision narrowing as a suffocating weight crushed her chest. The moment those words left his mouth, all the fight drained out of her. She sat in total silence, listening to the very clear sound of something shattering inside her heart.