A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 254

The slap jolted Fairfax to his feet, his eyes instantly locking onto Starla with a cold fury. But Starla stood her ground, her body rigid, her hands clenched into tight fists.

She looked down at the sputtering Darleen. "My mother-in-law? Have you forgotten? You're the one who always said I was an uncultured orphan with no manners. Did you really expect me to just stand here and take your insults?"

Her family had always been the deepest wound in her heart. Growing up in the orphanage, she had yearned for them every day.

And her children… the loss of her babies was the very reason for the war between her and Fairfax. She was already drowning in guilt and grief for the children she couldn't protect, desperate to escape the toxic pit that was the Yelchin family. And now Darleen was using that same pain as a weapon against her?

When her deepest vulnerabilities were exposed, all that was left was the sharp armor she wore to protect herself.

"Was I wrong?" Darleen shrieked, scrambling to her feet. "Maybe your family and your baby did deserve to die! Because of you, they—"

Before she could finish, Starla snatched the nearest object—one of the insulated food containers—and lunged, ready to bring it down on Darleen's head.

Fairfax moved in a flash, intercepting her arm. The container flew from her grasp, missing Darleen but crashing onto the floor right beside her head with a deafening bang that seemed to shake the room.

Darleen's face went white with terror. She pointed a trembling finger at Starla. "She's insane! She's completely insane!"

But Darleen's taunts had pushed Starla past the point of reason. She grabbed a dining chair, ready to charge again. Fairfax wrapped his arms around her, pinning her against him. "That's enough!" he roared.

No one could hear what was being said on the other end of the lines, but the effect was instantaneous and identical. The color drained from both Fairfax's and Darleen's faces. In perfect, horrified unison, they both gasped, "What?"

The single, shared word, amplified by their shock, sent a chill down Starla's spine. She glanced from Darleen to Fairfax, a terrible premonition taking hold.

They both ended their calls at the same moment. And then, two pairs of ice-cold eyes landed on her.

Darleen's phone slipped from her numb fingers, clattering to the floor unnoticed. She raised a shaking hand, pointing at Starla. "You… you monster… you…"

Starla felt the arm around her waist slowly, deliberately, release its hold. She turned to look at Fairfax. The man staring back at her was a stranger, his eyes completely empty, devoid of any warmth, any feeling, any light at all.