A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 55

Fairfax rushed to Maple Heights, only to find Starla wasn't there. He immediately called Herbert.

It seemed Herbert had no desire to speak with him, as the call went to voicemail twice before he finally answered.

"It's the middle of the night. Brinley just had her episode, and now it's your turn?"

Herbert's taunt made Fairfax's head throb with anger. Being spoken to like that by his own best friend was infuriating.

He cut to the chase. "Where is Starla?"

"She's your wife. You should be asking yourself that," Herbert replied coolly.

The words twisted in Fairfax's gut. His own wife, and yet every time she disappeared, he was the last to know. He had to ask others, who seemed to have a more direct line to her than he did.

Gritting his teeth, Fairfax said, "Gabriel told me you picked her up from the bridge."

"And why, exactly, did I have to pick her up?"

Fairfax was speechless. The line went taut with unspoken accusations. Why? Because he had abandoned her for Brinley.

Fairfax squeezed his eyes shut. Before he could respond, a cold laugh echoed from the phone.

"When did you become so clueless that you have to call someone else to find out where your own wife goes when she's upset? Weren't you the expert on how to care for a woman when you were carrying Brinley down from that rooftop?"

"Herbert!" Fairfax roared, his anger finally erupting. But the only response was the dial tone.

Standing in front of Maple Heights, Fairfax was so furious he wanted to smash his phone. After a long moment, he managed to control himself and called Gabriel.

"Find out where Herbert has hidden her."

At that moment, Fairfax was convinced Herbert had deliberately taken Starla somewhere to hide her from him. How dare he say Fairfax didn't know where his own wife went? How could he possibly know when she'd been hidden away?

Fairfax pinched the bridge of his nose, where a headache was blooming. "How frequent is 'frequent'?"

"For the last six months, she's gone every weekday, and sometimes on weekends as well."

The line went quiet again. Every weekday, and sometimes on weekends. That wasn't just visiting; that was a full-time job with overtime.

In that moment, Fairfax felt like his lungs were about to explode. For half a year, she had been leaving the house every day, and he had been completely oblivious. He didn't remember how the call ended. His mind was a chaotic storm of two names, swirling and crashing together: Starla and Herbert.

...

The next morning at breakfast, Garret approached Starla. "Miss, you have a gala to attend this evening. The invitation and gift have been prepared."

"Did my brother arrange it?" Starla asked.

Garret nodded.