A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 632

Even with her hair still damp, Brinley was so exhausted she could barely keep her eyes open. She crawled straight into Sally's bed and collapsed beside her.

The smell radiating off Sally was almost unbearable, though, to be fair, Brinley didn't smell much better. Since they only had access to freezing water, none of them had taken a proper shower in days.

Sally was already dead asleep, snoring loudly. The noise grated on Brinley's last nerve, keeping her awake despite her bone-deep exhaustion. Furious, she shoved the older woman. The snoring hitched and quieted down slightly.

Brinley had just drifted into a hazy half-sleep when—*splash!*—a basin of freezing water was dumped directly onto her face.

Brinley jolted violently, an icy thrill of shock ripping through her. She bolted upright, a high-pitched scream tearing from her throat. "Ah! Ahhhh!"

Caught in the crossfire, Sally shot up in bed, drenched and bewildered.

Standing over them was Darleen, an empty basin in her hands.

Brinley's temper exploded. "What the hell are you doing?! Are you insane?!" she shrieked. She was already physically broken; Darleen's relentless bullying was pushing her over the edge of sanity.

Sally, wiping cold water from her eyes, glared darkly at Darleen. "Mrs. Yelchin, we're all in the same boat now. Tormenting us doesn't do you any favors!" The daytime chores required all four of them. If Darleen made them sick, the workload would double for the rest of them.

"Who's in the same boat as you?!" Darleen spat viciously. "She's the tramp who murdered my Faraday! You think I'm in the same boat as her? Are you joking?!"

The commotion woke Xenia. Seeing Brinley looking so utterly pathetic, Xenia—who used to be incredibly close to her sister-in-law—didn't say a single word in her defense. It was clear that when it came to Faraday's death, Xenia would never forgive Brinley either.

"No one believes me. None of you believe me," Brinley whispered hollowly.

She had lost everything. Her place in the Yelchin family was gone. Her own mother had abandoned her. And Felix... Felix's attitude toward her had become the final, devastating blow.

"You deserve to die! You should just drop dead! Why would anyone believe trash like you?!" Darleen screamed, lunging forward to beat Brinley again.

Brinley hadn't packed many clothes, and she certainly didn't have enough practical pieces for hard labor. Her only set had been soaked earlier that day, and now Darleen had ruined the ones she was wearing. With the miserable weather, nothing she washed would dry in time.