A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 246

The sound was laced with a biting sarcasm, though she wasn't sure if it was aimed at herself or at the wreck of her relationship with Fairfax. Probably both.

She looked at him, her voice hollow. "I don't even know why you insist on trapping me in this marriage."

Was it love? She highly doubted it. Neither of them seemed to believe in that anymore. After all, love required at least a sliver of trust, and there was none left between them.

"How did we ever end up together?"

The question escaped her lips before she could stop it. He didn't trust her in the slightest, especially not when it came to the child. The disappointment in his eyes branded her as a woman vile enough to harm an innocent baby. If that's what he truly thought of her, how had they ever come to be in the first place?

Fairfax remained silent, the air thick with unspoken words.

"The recording shows the child is with Brinley," Starla said, her voice flat. "If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do. But I've already called the police."

She paused, letting her final point sink in. "I dared to call them. Brinley's the one whose child is missing. Why hasn't she?"

His silence was his only answer, but the question hung in the air. Why hadn't Brinley called the police? Was it, as Starla suggested, because she didn't dare?

…

At the hospital, Brinley was spiraling. "She called the police, Sally! What do we do?"

"Miss, you need to calm down," Sally urged.

"But…"

"Our arrangements were very discreet. It's unlikely the police will find anything."

"No, no, not the baby. You must have misheard."

"Then what involved the police?"

Brinley found her voice. "We were… we were saying that Starla would hide the baby somewhere very secret, and that the police might not be able to find her."

At the mention of Starla's name, Xenia's expression soured instantly.

"That vicious bitch! How dare she lay a hand on a child? She's a curse on this family!" Xenia fumed. "I have no idea what Fairfax sees in her."

She paced the room, her anger growing. "It's just one thing after another with her. Causing trouble was one thing, but kidnapping a baby? She’s never even had a child of her own. What if something happens to the poor thing in her care? She’s truly a monster!"