A slight crease formed between the man's brows.
"Fairfax used to tell me that too," she continued softly. "He said it was just our business. But then..."
What happened then? In the beginning, maybe it was just their business. When his family first unleashed their disdain, he used to shield her.
But as time went on, the constant friction wore him down. He lost his patience. He started demanding that she be more 'understanding.' He told her to stop provoking them, to just stay out of their way.
It got to the point where every conflict was somehow painted as her fault.
Seeing the melancholy settled over her features, Herbert tightened his grip on her hand. "This time is different."
"How?"
"We'll be in Yoran Country. That's Hoggart territory. From now on, no one from any family is ever going to make things difficult for you."
Struck by the absolute certainty in his voice, Starla fell into a stunned silence, simply staring at him.
...
Meanwhile, Caden had no idea how he managed to stumble out of The Yelchin Estate alive.
He called Darian Lynn, spending the entire drive cursing Fairfax's name.
"All these years, I treated him like a brother, and he played me for a total fool." Just thinking about it made his blood boil.
"Starla has a point, you know," Darian reasoned over the phone. "Did it really not cross your mind to shoot her a quick text?"
It was a long drive from Marina City to Hansville City.
How could he have been so blind? A single message would have saved him from this mess.

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