Darleen had spent every agonizing day trying to figure out the real reason Starla had refused the divorce and trapped them in this hellish servitude. There had to be a deeper motive.
And now, Fairfax was bringing up her darkest secrets. Could it be...?
Darleen's heart surged into her throat. A horrifying realization slammed into her mind, but her brain violently rejected it.
"Y-you... are you saying...?" She trailed off, staring at Fairfax in absolute dread. The pieces were locking together, and the picture was shattering her reality.
"Could it... could it be...?" she stammered, unable to force the words past her lips. It was too terrifying to be true. It couldn't be.
"You killed her mother!" Fairfax roared. "Now do you know why?!"
The silence that followed was deafening.
Darleen's world collapsed. It was as if a physical blow had struck her chest, shattering her entire reality into a ringing, white-hot void. Her pupils contracted, completely frozen in shock.
Xenia and Brinley were equally paralyzed.
Xenia shuddered violently. "Fairfax... what did you just say?" She stared at her brother, praying this was some sick joke.
Brinley stood rooted to the spot, entirely speechless.
Fairfax cast a disgust-filled glance at the three of them, turned on his heel, and walked into the house without another word.
Watching his retreating back, Darleen's legs gave out. If Xenia hadn't caught her, she would have collapsed onto the freezing pavement.
"Mom..." Xenia cried out.
Darleen's chest heaved erratically. "No. No, that's impossible. It's impossible!"

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