A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 44

After being brought to Cosmos Summit, Starla had spent the entire day simply eating. That evening, Tanya came to visit.

"You're eating well. I can relax now that someone's taking care of you," Tanya said, pulling up a chair. Her own company was a mess of its own. Her father had recently handed her the reins, and she was swamped. Before she knew Starla had a brother, Tanya had already arranged for her own staff to look after her. Seeing her so well-cared for now was a huge relief.

"I've been eating all day. I'm not even hungry anymore," Starla sighed.

"You have to eat, hungry or not. A miscarriage requires a proper recovery period. You need to take care of yourself. Some people don't even have the presence of mind to do that right now."

She was talking about Brinley. All day, Brinley hadn't had a single bite of food or a drop of water.

Even Darleen, who usually doted on her, was too preoccupied with the spiraling PR nightmare to think about her meals. The scandal had branded Brinley as the other woman, and the Yelchin family, her staunchest defenders, were now stained by the disgrace.

Starla invited Tanya to eat with her. Tanya, who was genuinely starving, didn't hesitate. She sat down opposite Starla and dug in. "Wow, this soup is amazing," she said after a spoonful.

"It's a rich squab soup," Starla replied.

Tanya paused. "Is this the same soup Brinley wanted?"

Just the mention of Brinley was nauseating. After giving birth, she had the audacity to demand Starla make her soup. Now, not only did she not get Starla's soup, but she was too distraught to eat anything at all.

"So, what's your next move?" Tanya asked.

"Tomorrow, I'll release the story about how she hit me with her car two years ago, causing my first miscarriage."

Tanya's hand froze, her fork hovering mid-air.

"I'm releasing it piece by piece," Starla explained. "Today was the marriage license. Tomorrow, the car accident. The day after, her plagiarism of my Draken Haven project. And for the grand finale, how she monopolized her brother-in-law this time, leading to my second miscarriage."

"An apology from Xenia."

Tanya squinted at the screen. The exclamation point at the end felt more like a clenched fist than a genuine sentiment. "Doesn't look very sincere."

"Sincere or not, it doesn't matter," Starla said, her voice devoid of emotion. "She just needs to report back to Fairfax."

Tanya fell silent, a bitter taste in her mouth. After a moment, she said, "You know, apart from Brinley, Fairfax has always stood by you in other matters."

Starla's hand stilled. "What good is a man's protection if he can't solve the fundamental problem?" she asked, her voice quiet but clear. "And how long can that kind of protection really last?"

In that moment, she saw her relationship with Fairfax with a chilling, unprecedented clarity.