A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 828

She had been completely wrong.

She had actually believed that out of their entire social circle—Herbert, Caden, Fairfax—Darian was the gentle, refined one.

Looking back now...

How could men who ran in the same circles not share the same ruthless tactics?

They only showed you exactly what they wanted you to see.

Just like Herbert had done with Starla. Just like Darian... had done with her.

When Darian received only silence on the other end, his temper flared. "Did you lose your voice?"

"I'm at the cafe by Cloud Lake."

Darian was already driving toward her apartment. He had guessed she wouldn't go home, trying to avoid him.

He spun the steering wheel, pulling a sharp U-turn, and headed straight for the lake.

Tanya was actually at her apartment. She had lied because she refused to be trapped in a private space with him.

Half an hour later.

They met at the cafe by the water. Darian had arrived first.

Tanya walked in and sat down directly across from him.

"I ordered you a lemonade," Darian said.

He knew her usual order, but given her current condition, caffeine was out of the question.

Tanya completely ignored him, turning to the passing waiter. "An Americano, please."

"Right away."

Seeing her deliberately order coffee made Darian's expression darken.

"Given the circumstances, you're really going to drink coffee?"

Did she have zero sense of responsibility as a pregnant woman?

"I'm not keeping it anyway, so why would I bother with dietary restrictions?" she replied flatly.

It was the absolute truth.

From the second she found out she was pregnant, she had never intended to keep the baby.

"About Yulisa's face—are you going to take responsibility, or are you going to make Tanya do it?"

The phone wasn't on speaker.

But the cafe was completely empty. In the quiet room, Tanya heard every single word Rowena said.

Realizing this call was about demanding retribution for Yulisa's scratch, Tanya looked at Darian, her eyes swimming with bitter mockery.

Darian hated that look. His brow furrowed deeply. "And if I do?"

"If you take responsibility, then you will marry Yulisa, and I'll drop the matter with that Mercer woman. But if she is the one who has to pay for what she did, believe me, I will make sure the price is devastating."

Every word dripping from the speaker carried the heavy, suffocating authority of a matriarch used to getting her way.

Even through a phone line, the threat was palpable.

"Are you threatening me?"

"I'm simply telling you what I expect. As for you..."

Rowena didn't finish the sentence. The line clicked dead.

Listening to the dial tone, the dark, violent aura rolling off Darian became impossible to hide.