A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 211

Caden Larson arrived shortly after receiving Fairfax's call. The moment he stepped into the study, he was hit by a thick wall of smoke.

"Are you trying to burn the place down?" he coughed, nearly turning around to leave. It was suffocating.

Fairfax ignored his friend's complaint, took one last drag from his cigarette, and tossed the pack to him.

"One chain-smoker in the room is enough for me, thanks," Caden said, waving the smoke away. He felt like he was getting secondhand smoke poisoning just by standing there. Any more, and they'd set off the fire alarm.

"So, why'd you call me over at this hour?" he asked. It was already getting dark. It couldn't be for dinner; they always went out to eat.

Fairfax tapped the ash from his cigarette into a tray.

"How do you appease a woman who is beyond furious?" he asked, looking at Caden.

"What do you mean?" Caden paused. "Beyond furious? You mean Starla? So, you're just now realizing you need to appease her?"

He sounded as if Fairfax hadn't been aware of how angry Starla was before this.

Fairfax didn't answer, just stared at him. His intense gaze made Caden feel a little uneasy.

"Hey, why are you asking me? You've lived with her for two years. You know her temper better than anyone."

"She really did have a miscarriage," Fairfax said, his voice flat.

Caden froze. Whatever sarcastic remark he'd been about to make died on his lips.

"Hey, don't look at me like that," Caden said, holding up his hands. "I'm not the one who schemed to make you doubt her."

Besides, why hadn't Fairfax believed her in the first place? Weren't the rest of the Yelchins partly to blame?

"You're panicking now, but you weren't exactly paying attention before, were you? You were too busy running around for Brinley."

Caden kept his tone carefully neutral, but the subtext was clear: You had this coming.

Fairfax's expression darkened further.

"Don't give me that look," Caden continued. "It's the truth. Before, it wasn't just that you didn't believe she miscarried. You acted like her miscarriage was completely insignificant compared to whatever was going on with Brinley."