A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 249

Fairfax held his cigarette between his fingers, his eyes fixed on Brinley with an unnerving coldness. It was the same icy look he'd given her ever since this ordeal with Starla began, but now, it held a new, dangerous edge.

Brinley’s heart hammered against her ribs. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to speak, scrambling to spin a new narrative. "My mother… said that if things get too difficult, I should… let go."

Fairfax’s eyes narrowed, a glint of steel in their depths.

"She doesn't know about our daughter's situation yet," Brinley rushed on, tears welling in her eyes. "She was talking about our son… saying he's been so sick for so long, that it's just endless suffering for him. She said that even though it would break my heart, maybe I should let him find peace."

She was desperately trying to reframe Harriet's cold words into a mother's misguided attempt at comfort.

Fairfax's breathing grew heavy and uneven, a sign that her words were hitting their mark.

Her own tears began to fall freely. "She even said to make his passing 'worth it.' Can you believe that? Fairfax, what a horrible thing to say. How could a child's death ever be worth it? My mother can be so clumsy with her words."

She was now a picture of maternal grief, her sobs shaking her small frame.

Brinley’s mind cleared slightly as she continued her performance. The bodyguards were outside; there was no way he could have clearly heard her words through the door. He must have only caught the end of her mother's sentence.

"How could I ever give up on him?" she cried, clutching a pillow to her chest as if it were her child. "He's my baby. How could I ever let him die?"

Fairfax closed his eyes for a long moment, then opened them. "Why didn't you call the police?"

She sounded like any mother willing to do anything to save her child, a portrait of selfless love and compromise.

…

Fairfax didn't remember the drive back to Luwood Mountain. When he arrived, he found Starla unusually quiet. There had been no violent attempts to break out, no fights with the guards. She was in the dining room, eating lunch. But instead of a plate, a neat row of insulated food containers sat before her.

Fairfax's eyes immediately shot to Molly. The housekeeper wrung her hands nervously. "Mrs. Yelchin refuses to eat anything prepared here, sir. It's all delivered from outside."

Fairfax’s jaw tightened.