Page 128 of Gamble with Me

“Don’t pretend you care for me, you cheating bitch!” he snarled, his face contorted with bitterness. “You chose him over your husband.”

“You chose hookers and slot machines over your wife and daughter first,” I countered, sensing the anger bubbling in my stomach.

“I did it to give you this!” He threw his arms in the air, pointing around us. “You wanted a child, so I gave you a child! You wanted an apartment, I bought you an apartment! How did I become the bad guy when you got what you wanted?”

“You controlled, manipulated, and abused us the entire time,” I hissed, glaring at him. “It was never the life I wanted.”

“Do you think Zyon is better than me?” Chester asked, taking a step closer to me. I instinctively backed away, noticing the closed front door and the key in the lock.

“It’s not a competition,” I pointed out, watching him cautiously. He could attack me anytime. I had to escape.

“No, it’s our daughter’s life,” he said, lowering his head. “How is she? How’s school?”

“She’s happy, Chester,” I answered, my gaze landing on the papers on the coffee table. He raised his head, and I immediately snapped my eyes toward him. “It’s all that matters, right? That our girl is happy and safe.”

“I won’t leave her with him, Valeria,” Chester said firmly, his eyes flashing lightning at me. “He won’t have my family.”

“It’s not your decision to make.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, baby doll,” he said in a falsely sweet voice, making my stomach churn with dread. “You’re mine.”

Without warning, he jumped on me. My reaction was quick, but he managed to grab my hair and yank me back. I yelped in pain, fighting with him to free myself, but he smashed me against the wall. I hit my arm and forehead, yet I ignored the pain. Adrenaline and my self-preservation instinct were stronger.

White dots appeared before my eyes as I tried to run to the bedroom, but Chester quickly caught me and threw me on the floor beside the unconscious bodyguard.

My hand was buried in the wet carpet, and when I looked at it, it was covered with blood. My stomach twisted with nausea, but I didn’t have time to breathe it away because Chester appeared in my line of view.

“You were such a good wife before that bastard showed up,” he said, kneeling beside me and grasping my chin roughly. “Why did you have to destroy everything?”

“Me?” I whispered, yanking my throbbing head from his hold. “You lost all our money. You cheated on me!”

A hard slap came out of nowhere, making me gasp. I pressed my palm against my cheek, tears falling from my eyes.

“Stop accusing me of things I never did!” he yelled, hitting me again. “Zyon spreads lies about me!”

I covered my head from his brutal punches, so he started hitting my ribcage and stomach. Curling into a ball, I begged him to stop, but he was in a trance. All his frustration was transferred to me in the form of strikes I couldn’t avoid or block.

“You bitch,” Chester seethed, gripping my arm and pulling me along the floor into the entry hall. I kicked my legs and tried to fight him with all my might, but he violently dragged me into the living room.

My body hurt. I tasted blood in my mouth, and my right eye was swelling so quickly I almost couldn’t see through it. I touched it when Chester let go of me and hissed in pain.

All my senses were on high alert when I watched him walk into the kitchen. I couldn’t imagine what he wanted to do with me. He’d completely lost his mind. I had to be prepared for the worst.

Looking around to find something to defend myself, I noticed my phone on the floor. It was about three feet from me, but the distance seemed insurmountable. My beaten body had difficulty crawling to get it.

The sound of breaking glass interrupted my concentration on the phone and reminded me I had to be quicker. I gathered all my remaining strength and grabbed it, but I could barely see the screen. With luck, I unlocked it and called the first number I found.

“What are you doing?!” Chester roared, and I shoved the phone under the couch. I heard a male voice from the speaker, but I didn’t know to whom it belonged.

“Nothing, Chester,” I claimed in a raised voice, hoping the person on the otherside would hear me.

“You lying bitch!” he yelled, approaching me with a long knife. A whimper escaped my mouth when I looked at the shiny blade. “Why are you alwayslyingto me?”

“I’m not!” I cried, crawling away from him, but my body was exhausted and refused to cooperate. “Please, don’t kill me in our home!”

It was the best I could come up with. If someone was still on the phone, it indicated where I was and that I was fighting for my life.

“You destroyed me, Valeria,” Chester snarled, swinging the knife before my face. “Now, I’ll destroy you!”