A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 856

She wanted to break free. Like a drowning victim, she was thrashing wildly, but every time she reached out, her hands grasped empty water.

"And his men?"

"One of them was injured, though I don't know the extent."

Starla closed her eyes. Her people took two critical hits, while his took one. Why did his men feel bold enough to pull weapons on her team?

Because Herbert had authorized it.

So that was how he wanted to play it.

Fine. Perfect.

"Pass the word down," she ordered, her voice laced with pure venom. "If his people dare interfere again, kill them."

If he was willing to go to such extremes to protect Brinley, she had no reason to hold back.

Garret nodded sharply. "Understood."

The next morning, right after she finished breakfast, Herbert arrived. The usual warmth in his eyes had noticeably faded.

Starla dropped her napkin and stood up. Reba had already arrived. For the past few weeks, Starla had thrown herself into the rigorous physical training Reba designed, working with a relentless, almost manic dedication.

Whether she was trying to numb her mind or prepare for war, nobody knew. It was impossible to read her when she was lost in this kind of fog.

Seeing her head for the door the second he walked in, Herbert grabbed her wrist. "We need to talk."

"No, we don't," she replied, her voice freezing over. She glanced down at his hand gripping her wrist, her eyes dead and detached.

He claimed he didn't want to ruin their relationship, and honestly, deep down, she didn't want to either. She rarely gave second chances, yet when she handed him one on a silver platter, he refused to take it.

"Then we have nothing left to say," she said. She forcefully wrenched her wrist from his grasp and turned her back on him.

"Does she really have to die?" he called out to her retreating figure.

"Yes. She does."

Her answer was absolute. But a second later, she stopped. "Even if she doesn't die, she doesn't get to stay on her pedestal. She belongs in the mud. In hell." She looked back at him. "At the very least, she rots in a cell. Will you allow that?"

It was the biggest concession she could possibly make regarding Brinley.

But once again, Herbert disappointed her.