Page 10

Valeria

I was washing the dishes when the news on TV caught my attention. Zara was coloring unicorns, and Chester was stretched on the couch, playing with his phone.

None of them was watching the damn thing, but it had to be turned on, or my husband would burst through the roof.

I hated his stupid habit of always having some noise in the background.

The casino environment and slot machines probably caused it.

There was never silence, so his brain also demanded noise when he was at home.

However, this time, it was different because my eyes were glued to the screen, and my mouth was wide open. A pretty lady was talking about a massive fire on a farm in Texas, where three people died. According to unconfirmed information, it was Adam Rivers, his wife, and his father.

My body tensed, and the mix of shock, guilt, and a weird emptiness took hold of me. I grabbed the nearest chair so I wouldn’t collapse on the ground and sat down, doing my best not to throw up.

Three people died because I disclosed their whereabouts to the crazy killers. Even if Adam was guilty of something, his wife and father shouldn't have paid for his mistakes. Why did the Zhumagulovs murder all of them ?

"Mommy, are you okay?" Zara's soft voice cut through the memories of me with the brothers, and I looked into her big, almost silver eyes. Her long auburn hair was in a high ponytail, showing her cute, concerned face.

"Yes, sweetheart." I gently took her hand, pulling her to me. "Everything is fine." I kissed her forehead, and she smiled at me, instantly melting my heart.

"Are you sure?" she asked, her innocent expression giving me the strength to nod and pretend I didn't feel responsible for three murders. Thankfully, she bought my act and ran to her room to finish her homework.

"You look like you saw a ghost," Chester pointed out, and I snapped my head in his direction.

He stood and watched me worriedly while I blinked rapidly to push back the tears.

A loud, painful shriek threatened to escape my throat, and only the knowledge of my baby girl being at home stopped it from ripping me apart.

"Valeria," Chester hissed, quickly closing the door to the kitchen and crouching before me when my breathing quickened.

Noisy sobs almost pulled my chest to pieces.

I couldn't hold myself together. My entire body shook violently, and I couldn't say a word to explain.

Guilt took hold of my heart, and my stomach turned to knots.

Everything around me was blurry; only the contours of my husband's scared face were deciphered by my wet eyes.

I pushed my fist into my mouth to stop the booming sounds coming out of me, and when he embraced me, I hid my face in his chest, muffling my screams with his body.

"For Christ's sake, Valeria. What is going on?" Chester mumbled into my hair, squeezing me tightly. I shook my head and wrapped my arms around his torso, forcing my lungs to take in some oxygen. My head spun, and my heart almost gave up. I never felt so blameworthy.

"Calm down, baby doll. Just calm down," Chester whispered soothingly, but his words didn't make me feel better. I presumed Zyon or his brothers would do something violent, yet this exceeded my expectations. I finally understood why the people around them were so frightened. They were lunatics!

Slowly, I pulled away from my husband, still shaken by the news, but I couldn't stay around him. I needed to be alone. The feeling of shame flooded my body, and I couldn't even look at his face. If he knew how much I’d fucked up, he would be disgusted .

But should I really be ashamed of my decision?

I believed back then that my life and the lives of my colleagues were in grave danger.

Zyon or Malin would have started torturing us if they hadn't found out something useful.

Only thanks to me, nothing terrible happened, and we all left unharmed.

I saved myself and protected them as well, so why the hell was I feeling like this?

Like I killed Adam and his family members with my own hands?

"I don't feel well," I mumbled, standing up, but I had to grab the counter for support because my trembling legs couldn't hold me.

"Shit, Valeria. What the fuck?" Chester took my elbow and helped me, but I wriggled to get away.

"Please, I need to lay down and rest," I whispered, and he nodded, but instead of letting me go, he lifted me and carried me to the bedroom.

"Relax, baby. Do you need me to bring you something?" I shook my head, and he tenderly kissed my forehead and finally left me alone.

Hiding my face in the pillow, I started to cry.

I couldn't hold in that gnawing guilt inside of me any longer.

It was torturous like a hot iron chain was wrapped around my insides, burning them.

I felt the uncomfortable heat in my stomach, moving like a nasty worm to my chest, poisoning my heart.

I wanted to scream and punch around me, but Zara could've heard me, and I didn't need to risk that.

She was emotional and overly sensitive. Seeing me like this would only frighten her.

Calming down a little, I turned on my back and stared at the ceiling decorated with stars. We made it with Zara last year when she had her constellation phase, but I couldn't admire the beauty of our creation. My mind was directed elsewhere.

When I told Chester about the Zhumagulovs and their casino invasion two weeks ago, he shrugged it off like nothing serious happened.

He claimed they had done crazier things in the past, and if Adam really stole money from them, there wasn't a hole he could hide in to escape them.

It gave me chills, but with my problems preoccupying my mind, I forgot about it.

So, the news took me completely by surprise.

My ringing phone disturbed my erratic thoughts, and I rolled my eyes. Tapping the nightstand, I found it in the exact place I left it in the morning. Alice's name was blinking at me from the screen .

"Yes?" I screeched, hating the sound of my hopeless voice. She instantly knew something wasn't right.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, just a migraine," I lied, gulping another wave of bitter tears.

"Well, I have a job for you for tonight," she announced enthusiastically, but after a millisecond, I could almost see her brows furrowing, and she quickly added, "if the pain allows you to go."

"I can go," I quickly replied, sitting up. I needed money like salt. Chester was behaving outstandingly, but I still wanted a divorce. A few hundred would not make a big difference, but it was a start.

"What will I be doing tonight?" I asked, rising to my feet and opening the closet. I had uniforms for different types of games, but they all had my former employer's logo. I had to pick something else.

"It's a big poker game in the Balloon room," Alice answered, lowering her voice to a whisper so I could barely hear her talking. “It's for the Zhumagulovs. For sure, one of them will play. Are you okay with it?"

My heart rate rapidly increased, and I gulped, licking my dry lips. Zhumagulovs were psychos, but I needed to escape Chester. This was an opportunity I couldn’t let slip between my fingers, no matter how much they scared me.

"They pay well, right?" I said, touching the ridiculously expensive white coat Chester gave me for my birthday. If I somehow managed to sell it, it would cover two months' mortgage payment.

"Amazing," Alice confirmed. "One night will solve your financial problems for the entire month.

I can't go because my dad had another episode, so I'm going to him, but you won't work alone.

I was there a few times, and everything went smoothly.

You'll get money at the end of the shift.

" She paused momentarily to breathe while I took out a black, knee-high dress with long sleeves.

"You'll deal as usual, but sometimes, they change the rules for their liking.

Just do as they say, and it'll be fine."

"Have you heard about Adam?" I burst out of nowhere, slamming my hand over my mouth.

I didn't plan to talk to her about it. I didn't want to admit to anyone it was my fault because then it would become real, and I wasn't sure if my heart could handle it.

But instead of being quiet, my mouth decided not to cooperate and asked the idiotic question.

"Yes. It was on the news this morning. Horrible tragedy." I heard her start a car, and the song from the radio echoed in the background. "Sorry, love, I must go. Will you be okay?"

"Yes, I'll be fine," I uttered, preparing the board for ironing. "Say hi to your dad."

"Will do, bye."

The click on the phone suggested she ended the call, and I sighed heavily. Fear mixed with desperation in my chest as I stared at the dress that reminded me of my lost job when the idea struck me like a Japanese bullet train.

How much would Zhumagulovs pay to keep their dirty secret?

Blinking rapidly, all the wheels in my brain spun. They weren't stupid. They knew I could cause them unnecessary trouble if I told the police about their interest in Adam and my involvement in it.

Still, what if they decided to get rid of me? Was I willing to risk it? They just murdered three people, for Christ's sake.

However, glancing at my wedding ring, I instantly made up my mind. It was the quickest way to escape Chester's claws. If I sold it right, the Zhumagulovs would become my ticket to freedom. I just had to be clever about it.