A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 10

But he had only taken a single step when a heavy weight crashed against his leg. He looked down to see Brinley, who had been sobbing moments before, sprawled on the floor, having fallen from her wheelchair. She was unconscious.

Fairfax’s feet felt like they were encased in lead. He was frozen, his desperate urge to run to Starla warring with the scene before him.

Someone screamed. “Oh my God, she’s bleeding! There’s so much blood!”

The last thing Starla saw before her vision blurred and faded was Fairfax scooping Brinley into his arms. Then, darkness consumed her.

…

When she regained consciousness, it was the next morning. Tanya was by her side, looking exhausted.

“You’re finally awake. Thank God. What a nightmare.”

Starla’s lips were dry. Tanya quickly held a cup of water for her.

“Fairfax stopped by earlier. Stayed for about ten minutes.”

Ten minutes. The number landed like a stone in Starla’s stomach.

“He told you to tell me not to sue Brinley, didn’t he?”

“You heard him?” Tanya asked, surprised.

That was indeed the message. The man’s wife was still unconscious, and he was already pleading Brinley’s case. The audacity was staggering.

Starla stared at the IV drip in the back of her hand. “No. I just guessed.”

After the last six months, it was painfully predictable. He hadn't just tried to stop her last night; he had been frantic.

“Forget him,” Tanya said, her voice tight. “Drink some soup. You lost a lot of blood last night…” Her voice cracked with emotion, even though she was just an observer. Yet when Fairfax had come by, he’d seemed more annoyed than worried, probably assuming Starla just had a bad flu. So attentive to his sister-in-law, yet completely ignorant of his own wife’s condition.

“And he still left before I even woke up,” Starla said with a bitter laugh.

Starla said nothing, only watched her with cold eyes.

The undisguised animosity didn’t faze Brinley in the slightest. Her smile widened. “Are you still going to fight for Fairfax after this?”

Starla’s eyes narrowed. “You pushed me on purpose, didn’t you?”

At that moment, she was certain. Both times, two years ago and yesterday, it had been deliberate.

Brinley folded her hands in her lap, her smile vanishing. She didn’t answer the question directly. Instead, her voice turned hard and demanding. “Divorce Fairfax. Name your price.”

Looking at this arrogant, domineering woman, Starla couldn’t help but think that this was the person the Yelchin family saw as a gentle, virtuous, and ideal daughter-in-law. The irony was suffocating.

She let out a short, cold laugh. “You’ve been faking your depression all this time. Does he have any idea how you really feel about him?”

“That’s none of your concern,” Brinley replied coolly. Perhaps because of Starla’s orphan background, Brinley never bothered to hide her true colors from her.