A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 4

“Bad luck? Good,” Starla said, her voice dripping with venom. “If I knew witchcraft, I’d curse the entire Yelchin family to hell.”

She turned and went back inside, making trip after trip, feeding everything that connected her to Fairfax into the roaring fire.-

When Tanya arrived, she found Starla standing before the villa, her pale face illuminated by the towering flames, looking both fearless and utterly detached. Rain had begun to fall, but Starla didn't seem to notice.

Tanya, tall and imposing, rushed forward and pulled Starla into her arms, sheltering her under a large umbrella.

“Are you crazy? You just had a miscarriage, you can’t be standing in the rain like this! You’ll make yourself sick.”

She steered Starla toward her car. Nestled in Tanya’s warm embrace, the rigid control Starla had maintained all evening finally cracked, and a wave of exhaustion washed over her.

…

Inside the car, Tanya handed her a dry towel. “What were you burning?” she asked, watching as Starla listlessly dried her hair.

“Everything he gave me. Everything I gave him.”

“If you need to cry, just cry,” Tanya said softly. “I know they say you shouldn’t while you’re recovering, but it’s better than keeping it all bottled up.”

They used to be so happy. It was heartbreaking to see how the last six months had shattered everything.

Starla let out a dry, humorless laugh. “Cry? No. Why should I be the one crying?” Her voice hardened. “I’m going to make sure the right people have plenty to cry about.”

There was a chilling certainty in her tone.

“You’re right,” Tanya agreed, sensing her friend’s resolve. “They’re the ones who should be crying, not you.”

There was no room for a third person in a marriage, no matter what form they took. And Brinley hadn’t been subtle; she had been openly trying to steal Fairfax for months, confident that Starla was powerless to stop her.

Tanya started the car and pulled away from the villa as the rain intensified, drumming against the windows.

“I thought you couldn’t get pregnant again after you lost the baby two years ago,” Tanya said carefully.

Two years ago, Starla and Fairfax had conceived a child. But before she even knew she was pregnant, Brinley had crashed her car into her, causing a miscarriage on the spot. At the time, Brinley had been more hysterical than Starla, swearing it was an accident. The matter was quickly dropped. Faraday was still alive then, and Brinley hadn't shown any overt interest in Fairfax, so Starla hadn't pushed it.

Starla stared out at the rain-swept streets. Was she the type of person to just let things go? Her eyes were as cold as the storm outside.

“First, I’ll divorce Fairfax. And then…” She paused, then changed the subject. “Harriet Seabrook… her export business has been doing quite well all these years, hasn’t it?”

Harriet was Brinley’s wealthy and influential mother, the source of Brinley’s unshakeable confidence, along with her doting mother-in-law, Darleen.

“Yes, why do you bring her up?” Tanya asked, a note of caution in her voice. “She’s not someone you can mess with.”

“What if that business suddenly collapsed?” Starla mused.

Tanya stared at her. “Her entire business depends on foreign buyers for that specific material. If she lost those contracts, it would ruin her. Honey, why are you asking this? I don’t have the power to take down the Seabrook family.”

Harriet’s network was vast and deeply entrenched in Marina City. She was practically untouchable.

When Starla didn’t answer, Tanya squeezed her cold hand. “Don’t do anything reckless.”

Reckless? Starla didn’t reply. Her mind drifted back to a month ago, to the man from Yoran Country who had found her, who had held her in his arms…