A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 199

The air in the hospital room went still. Brinley’s face paled, and Darleen’s was a mask of disbelief.

“What… what did you just say? She never went in?” Darleen stammered.

“That’s right,” Xenia confirmed, her voice choked with bitterness.

“Herbert personally went to get her,” Xenia continued, her voice rising with hysteria. “Who is she to him? How could he be carrying on with her while our families were in the middle of marriage negotiations?”

The thought drove her mad. It was bad enough that Fairfax had always doted on that worthless orphan, but now Herbert too? Tess had been working so hard to arrange their engagement, and all along he was involved with Starla.

“That bitch!” Darleen finally exploded, feeling faint with rage. “How ridiculous,” she muttered, shaking her head. “This morning we were planning how to make her suffer in jail, how to make sure she never came out alive.”

The irony was crushing. While they were plotting her demise, she was out, free. Herbert. Of all people, it was Herbert who had saved her.

Brinley, who had been silent, turned to Xenia. “Are you just going to let this go? You really like Herbert.”

“Of course I’m not letting it go!” Xenia shot back. “I’ll make that bitch pay for this.”

If Starla thought she could steal Herbert from her, she was sorely mistaken!

Just then, the attending physician entered the room. “Mrs. Yelchin.”

At the sight of an outsider, Darleen and Brinley quickly masked their hatred for Starla.

“What is it?” Darleen asked.

Starla paused. It was another one of those nourishing broths.

“Your period should be over by now, right?”

At his words, Starla’s hand froze. She looked up at him. The word ‘period’ hung between them, thick with irony.

“So, you still don’t believe that I was…”

“Starla,” he interrupted, his gaze softening. He reached out and placed his warm hand over hers. “Focus on getting healthy. We’ll have children. These things can’t be rushed.”

Starla was silent. So he truly didn’t believe she had been pregnant.