A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 75

Xenia stared at the blood coating her palm, her pupils constricting in horror. "Aaaah!"

Darleen, who had been about to lunge at Starla, was startled by her daughter's scream. Her eyes widened when she saw the deep gash on Xenia’s face, blood streaming from it. She felt her own breath catch in her throat.

"Blood… Mom, my face! My face…" Xenia touched the wound again and cried out as a sharp, searing pain shot through her. Blood trickled down her chin and onto her neck, the warm, metallic scent filling the air.

Darleen's gaze darted from Starla on the landing to the furious expression on Fairfax's face, finally settling on the bloody glass ashtray lying on the floor.

"Fairfax… you…" she stammered, her voice trembling.

Fairfax’s jaw was tight. He picked up his phone and calmly called for an ambulance.

Darleen felt dizzy with rage. "Xenia is your sister! How could you do this to her for an outsider?"

Fairfax's eyes narrowed. "Starla is my wife. To me, you are the outsiders. Since your daughter can't seem to learn to respect her, perhaps it's better if her mouth is ruined."

His chilling words hung in the air. To disrespect Starla was to disrespect him.

Starla was already in bed, pretending to be asleep. He climbed in beside her and pulled her small frame into his arms. Her body felt cool to the touch. He opened his robe and wrapped it around her, cocooning her in his warmth.

Starla shifted, wanting to pull away, but he held her firm. "Be still. Sleep," he murmured, his own exhaustion palpable.

She had expected him to be furious, to yell at her for what she'd done to his mother. She had been prepared for a fight, ready to let him rage. But she was tired, having spent the entire day at the biology lab. Since he wasn't starting a fight, she didn't have the energy to bother with him either.

He held her through the night, but she remained cool, even though the house was temperature-controlled. Worried, he gently added another blanket, which only succeeded in making him overheat.