A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 1135

Starla looked at him and let out a dry laugh.

Herbert was momentarily stunned. She hadn't given him a single pleasant look in weeks, and now she was laughing?

"What's so funny?" he asked, gently smoothing her hair.

"Does putting on this act make you feel like a massive hypocrite?" she asked.

Herbert stiffened. "Hypocrite?"

Her blunt words cut deeper than a knife. He was doing everything out of genuine care and devotion, yet she viewed it all as a facade.

"You're the one who wounded me," Starla said coolly. "And now you're the one playing the concerned caretaker, terrified I'll catch a cold. Honestly, Herbert, don't you find your own behavior ridiculous?"

He hadn't hesitated to hurt her when executing his plan. So who was this performance of tender loving care actually for?

Herbert's chest tightened. He had wanted to head out immediately, but her words anchored him to the spot. He sat down next to her, their eyes locking. Starla's gaze was indifferent, wholly unappreciative of his efforts.

The sheer apathy in her eyes suffocated him. He took a deep breath. "You were going to use the exact same method to escape, weren't you?"

Starla stayed silent.

"If I hadn't stepped in, you would have orchestrated your own death," Herbert continued. "So why is it that when I do it, it's an unforgivable sin?"

He knew her perfectly. He knew that to completely sever ties with Fairfax and Yardley, she was prepared to go to extreme lengths. She had realized that the only way to find peace was to vanish from their worlds entirely.

Of course, 'their' worlds included his.

Seeing her silence, Herbert took her hand. "You would have made it look even more real than I did."

To guarantee her disappearance, she would have paid any price. Herbert had framed Lazar to make her injuries look convincing without putting her life in true jeopardy. If she had executed her own plan, she likely would have nearly killed herself to sell the lie.

Hearing his rationale, Starla closed her eyes in sheer frustration.

"You hate me because I facilitated your escape but refused to let you leave me," Herbert said softly. "I can't accept that, Starla."

"Facilitated my escape? How generous of you."

She didn't want to hear another word. Facing this suffocating version of Herbert, she had zero desire to engage. She completely shut him out.