A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 114

In the past, he had placated her before, but he’d never gone so far as to offer to cook for her himself. Right now, he just wanted her temper to subside.

But Starla was done with his half-hearted gestures, and she was no longer so easily appeased. Despite his gentle coaxing, her tone was laced with even more sarcasm. “You’ll cook? And what, land me in the hospital again with another one of your special soups?”

Fairfax flinched. The mention of the real reason she'd ended up in the hospital that morning plunged the room into a heavy silence.

Starla pushed his arms away. “Just save it. Don’t bother making anything.”

She had been reluctant to return to Petal Villa in the first place, and now, knowing Annika had even sent the nutritionists, her disgust for the Yelchin family deepened.

“You just lie down and rest. I’m going to make you dinner,” Fairfax insisted, ignoring her words. Every syllable she spoke felt like a tiny needle piercing his resolve. He stood, retrieved a thick blanket from a guest room closet, and draped it over her before heading to the kitchen.

Just as he stepped inside, his phone, left on the table, started ringing. It was Gabriel.

His hands were wet, so he poked his head out of the kitchen. “Can you get that for me?” he asked Starla, hoping the gesture would show her he had nothing to hide.

Starla picked up the phone and answered. Before she could speak, Gabriel’s voice came through, urgent and rushed. “Sir, Miss Xenia signed all the other documents, but she’s refusing to sign the transfer papers for Petal Villa.”

Starla’s eyes narrowed. She looked up with a mocking expression as Fairfax emerged from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. Without a word, she tossed the phone to him. He caught it, saw it was Gabriel, and put it to his ear. “What did you say?”

“Miss Xenia won’t sign the transfer for Petal Villa. She says she loves the house too much.”

Fairfax’s face darkened instantly. He glanced at Starla on the sofa before walking away to continue the call.

“Is she out of her mind?” he hissed.

“Doesn’t that just make your skin crawl?” she asked.

Fairfax remained silent.

“No, that’s not right,” she continued, her voice dripping with irony. “She’s your darling sister. Of course you wouldn’t be bothered by the house being in her name. She’s just doing it to spite me.”

Fairfax’s expression was grim. “She just likes the house. Don’t overthink it.”

“You’re right, I’m overthinking things,” she said, her voice eerily calm, a smile still playing on her lips. “Brinley caused me to lose my baby, but I was just overthinking. I wanted a child so badly I must have imagined the entire pregnancy. And when Xenia, your mother, and your grandmother took everything you ever gave me, it wasn’t because they wanted to steal from me. It was just because they liked it all so much!”

Each word, delivered with that serene smile, sent an icy chill through Fairfax’s veins.