A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 895

Hearing the word 'use,' Herbert's chest tightened uncomfortably. "Use?"

"Isn't that exactly what this is?"

Herbert remained silent.

"What exactly are you looking for in the Black Sea? Does it have something to do with the Hoggart family?" The moment the name of her own family crossed her lips, Starla's tone turned incredibly bitter.

She didn't miss a beat. "Well, I hate to disappoint you, but I'm really not that important to the Hoggart family."

If she actually mattered to them, Yardley wouldn't have treated her the way he had regarding Brinley. She finally understood the brutal reality of how blood ties were weighed against business interests. She despised this toxic, suffocating environment.

"Starla," Herbert began, his voice softening slightly.

"Brinley is dead now. The only thing tying us together, the only conflict we had, is gone. There's nothing left. And frankly, I don't want there to be."

Perhaps there had been a moment where she had started to fall for Herbert. But right now, any lingering affection was completely frozen over.

Starla crossed her arms. "Then tell me, what are you taking me to the Black Sea for?"

It was one of the most dangerous regions in the world. Why did she need to be there?

"I can't leave you here. It's not safe," Herbert stated firmly.

Starla let out a sharp laugh. "This is my home. You're telling me staying here is more dangerous than following you into a warzone?"

"Starla—"

"Herbert, you don't have the right to worry about my safety."

She stripped him of the privilege completely. This was who Starla was now. She was ice-cold, devoid of any warmth or vulnerability when it came to him. It was the exact same wall she had built against Fairfax Yelchin.

Once a man lost her trust, everything she did was meant to push him away. She would never let him back in.

There were some things he simply couldn't say. The situation was a political minefield, and explaining it would only make it more dangerous. Herbert wanted to keep Starla's world as simple as possible—he knew she craved a simple life.

But his commanding tone only poured gasoline on her fury.

"Not a request?" she spat.

He didn't blink.

"Don't even dream about it!"

In her eyes, Herbert forcing her to go to the Black Sea was undeniable proof he planned to use her for leverage. She was never going to give him the chance to play her like a pawn again.

Even if he had given her a reason, trust would have been a massive leap. The fact that he was keeping her entirely in the dark made it a hard line in the sand.

Without another word, Starla turned her back on him and marched straight up the stairs.