A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 986

Because of that betrayal, her heart had shattered, pushing her to abandon everything and run.

"You cannot go to the Cyrus Sea tonight," Yardley warned, refusing to entertain Herbert's guilt trip. He was convinced Starla wasn't even there. And if she was... given the absolute venom she had displayed when taking down the Yelchins, he feared she had laid a lethal trap.

Herbert's eyes narrowed.

"Has it crossed your mind," Yardley asked slowly, "that she might actually want you dead?"

The words struck Herbert like a physical blow. His breath hitched. Did she? Could her hatred for him have escalated to that point? His face drained of color as he stared at Yardley in horror.

"It's a very real possibility, isn't it?" Yardley pressed.

Not just a possibility—a probability. Given how fiercely she despised them for the events of the past few weeks, she might genuinely want to watch Herbert burn.

"Are you saying," Herbert choked out, the reality suffocating him, "that she and Amos aren't just going after Licht tonight... they're coming after me, too?"

Was this how much she loathed him?

He refused to accept it. He looked at Yardley, desperate for reassurance.

"I've been thinking about this a lot," Herbert said softly. "We were wrong. Her world was peaceful. It was pure. And we dragged her kicking and screaming back into our mud."

He had always known she despised the mob-like politics of their lives. Back in Marina City, he had shielded her from it. But upon returning, he had let Yardley convince him that 'as the princess of the Hoggart family, she had to accept this reality.' He had compromised, and in doing so, he had lost her.

"She's completely irrational right now. The smartest thing you can do is stay away until she cools off," Yardley argued, believing her actions were purely driven by blind, emotional rage.

Herbert shook his head. "If she doesn't get this anger out of her system, she will never, ever calm down."

Just like when she dismantled the Yelchins. Until the score was entirely settled, she would carry that resentment in her bones forever.