A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 173

Starla's resolve to divorce had been unwavering lately. Did Fairfax really think he could intimidate her into submission? He wanted her to break, but a woman who fought like she had wasn't the type to surrender. And now his stunt from yesterday had been completely exposed, only making things worse.

"She fed me the broth," Fairfax said, his tone a complex mix of emotions. "She knew it was poisoned."

"If she knew it was poisoned, then she must have known one of your family members did it," Caden shot back. "If I were her, I'd have fed it to you, too."

Caden was stunned by the Yelchin family's viciousness. But then again, he could understand their fury. They were one of Marina City’s most prominent families, and their reputation was everything. Starla's recent actions, linking her miscarriage to Brinley, had publicly humiliated them. Not just the Yelchins, but Harriet as well, had been caught in the fallout. Starla’s chain of attacks had left them reeling.

"You can't really blame her for fighting back," Caden mused. "Your mother has been pushing for you two to divorce so you can be with Brinley from the start."

Even Caden found the Yelchins' plan unsettling—having the younger brother take up with his deceased brother's widow felt sordid. But Brinley was cunning; she must have found a way to win the whole family over.

"Just find out where she is," Fairfax said, dismissing any discussion of Brinley.

Caden's mouth twitched. "Fairfax, do you honestly think she's going to answer my calls now? You have just used my phone to call her. She isn't stupid. This is your own damn fault. You need me to contact your own wife."

Fairfax said nothing.

"Did you really think she'd never leave you?" Caden pressed. For the past six months, the situation with Fairfax and Brinley had been a complete mess, something no woman would tolerate. Yet Fairfax had acted as if he didn't see Starla's pain, always dropping everything for Brinley and her babies.

Caden's blood ran cold. "Wait, why are you going after Herbert again? He's not like that. Even if he does have feelings for Starla, he'd wait until after the divorce to say anything.”

“He's not like Brinley," he added, throwing a pointed jab at Brinley’s shameless lack of boundaries with a married man.

Fairfax's head throbbed. He shot Caden a look so cold and menacing it stopped him in his tracks.

Caden swallowed, his next words catching in his throat.

"Are you really going to see him?"