Page 35

Valeria

C hester left me to sleep till noon. I stretched my arms above my head, recalling the memories of the last night.

My throat and jaw ached, and my pussy was sore, but it didn't wipe out another fantastic experience with my stalker.

But my moment of contentment was ruined by the lies I'd told him.

I didn't know how to get rid of the torturing feeling of guilt eating my conscience.

Getting out of bed, I opened the pink curtains and window, allowing the fresh air to blow into the room. A light breeze ruffled my messy hair, and my eyes dropped to the flower on the nightstand.

Slowly, I approached the bedside table, stretching my arm toward the stunning black dahlia.

My fingers touched the gorgeous petals, feeling their softness.

Carefully, I lifted it to my nose, inhaling its scent.

I never felt so happy about getting a simple flower.

Its color, texture, and shape symbolized our blossoming relationship. If only I could tell him the truth.

Pulling a simple T-shirt over my head, I brushed my teeth and combed my hair.

I put it up in a ponytail and checked my face for wrinkles.

I always had flawless skin, yet I felt the need to look better than I did on an average day.

But then I realized I was at home alone or with my husband, who wasn't the man I cared to impress.

With a wink at my reflection, I left the bathroom. As a protective token, I took the dahlia into the kitchen and placed it into a vase .

"Where did you get it?"

Chester's voice felt like a punch in the gut. The butterflies in my stomach, caused by the beautiful gift, were instantly killed by his attacking rumbling.

"I found it in Zara's room," I replied casually, arranging it on the table so I didn't have to look at him.

"It wasn't there when she woke up crying in the middle of the night," Chester pointed out, and I felt his presence behind me.

"Well, you could've taken the credit for gifting it to me." I shrugged, feeling my heart thudding somewhere in my throat. My mind worked overtime to develop a topic that would make Chester forget about the flower.

"Aren't you worried that our daughter cried at night?" he asked, coming into my line of view, and I turned to face him. "You care more about this weed than our child."

A simple look I threw his way instantly turned into a glare.

I sensed anger bubbling in my stomach. Zara was the most important person in my life.

I spent countless nights holding her in my arms because she had nightmares.

She slept with me frequently when he wasn't at home.

He fulfilled his duties as a loving father once and acted like he saved the universe.

Asshole.

"I know about her nightmares, Chester," I said, looking into his disgusting face. I felt nothing toward my husband but repulsion. I wanted him gone from my and Zara's life. With every minute passing, I was more determined to find a way to escape him.

"Great. Then I believe you'll agree that we must do something about it." He walked to the kitchen counter and leaned against it, crossing his arms over his chest. "I bought us tickets to the fun fair. It could help us all to feel like a family again."

For a moment, I thought I might throw up. My stomach twisted with nausea, and bile rose in my throat.

"Excuse me?" I hissed, my insides trembling with blinding rage.

"If Zara didn't interrupt you, you would've raped me on this very counter you're leaning against." My voice was rising evenly with my temper, and the memory of him pressed against me only fueled my fury.

"How the hell do you want us to feel like a family when you're constantly abusing me? "

"Stop dramatizing things, Valeria," he said calmly, making my blood boil. "I would never hurt you."

" Really ?" I yelled. "When I begged you to stop, why didn't you stop?"

"You should stop right now," he warned, pushing himself off the counter. He was icy calm, but his hazel eyes swirled with suppressed anger. I was on the verge of another physical confrontation.

"Or what?" I asked, gulping the set of profanities I craved to shout into his face. "Will you hit me again?"

Chester took a step closer, and I forced myself to stay rooted to the ground. My head was held high, and my eyes bored into his. I was scared of him, but my fear didn't stop me from defying him. I couldn't give up. It wasn't in my nature. I’d suffered too much from him to let him win.

"What happened to us, Valeria?" he inquired, stopping before me. His arms fell beside his body, and his eyes roamed my face with sadness reflecting in them. "We were happy, and suddenly everything changed."

"Happy?" I echoed, musing if he really was so blind, considering our relationship was in shreds long ago, or if he just refused to believe we completely fell apart.

"I've not been happy with you for over a year, Chester.

I can't even look at you without feeling betrayed.

You destroyed everything I ever felt for you with your lies. "

"I'll make it right, baby doll," he claimed, placing his hands on my shoulder. His touch felt invasive, interfering with my personal space. I didn't want him close.

"There is nothing you can do to save our marriage," I stated, determination emitted from my every cell and nerve. I’d made up my mind. We were over.

"We have a daughter," he reminded me, looking like he was trying to find the last thing that would save us. "Will you break her family? Is that what you want?"

"Don't try to manipulate me with her," I said, wriggling to shake his hands off of me. "It's not healthy for her to watch her parents' constant fights. "

"Do you understand what you're forcing me to do, Valeria?" Chester furrowed his brows, but his voice was unusually sweet. It alerted all my senses. "I will never let you leave this apartment with my daughter."

"I'm her mother," I ground out, fear gripping my heart. "You won't take her away from me."

"You're a mother who has suicidal tendencies, problems with drinking alcohol, and you also have a nice arrest record. How do you think it will look before the judge?"

"I was barely an adult," I breathed, shocked to the core that he pulled my mental health card. It was the darkest era of my life. I wasn't proud of my decisions back then. It was absurd to compare me with the person I was ten years ago.

"What about your depression after Zara was born?" Chester continued, completely disarming me. Of course, he knew about everything, but I would never have thought he would use it against me.

"It happens to some women," I whispered, helplessness holding me in its tight embrace.

"To unstable women," he corrected me, a smug grin crossing his face. We both knew he was winning now. "No judge will ever give you the full custody of our daughter after I present your files."

"Why do you hate me so much?" I whispered, overcoming the urge to cry. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing my tears, but it cost me all my strength not to crumble before him.

"Hate you?" He raised his brows in surprise, gently cupping my chin. "I love you, Valeria. And I'll do everything to keep us together."

I couldn't believe my ears. The words coming out of his mouth were so dishonest. It was the biggest lie he’d ever told me. No one in their right mind would act like this.

But I didn't have the power to continue in this empty conversation. Chester made it perfectly clear he would stop at nothing to rip me away from Zara.

Involuntarily, I remembered Malin's words when I first met him and his brothers.

"It's a problem that can be solved with one bullet. "

Oh, God!

"Dress in something nice, and I'll take you and Zara for lunch before the fun fair." Chester yanked me back to reality, letting go of my chin. "I believe you won't do anything to sabotage my plans."

I nodded, running from his reach as quickly as possible. Shutting the door into our bedroom, I sat on the ground with my back pressed against the door and hugged my knees.

My body was in cramps from the quiet, desperate sobs that wanted to tear me apart. Helplessness and anguish clawed at me like demons from the underworld that craved to drag my soul to hell.

I knew the feelings too well to let them win over me.

They kept me company for years. Panic attacks, social anxiety, and eating disorders were just the tip of the iceberg.

But I got out. I beat all those monsters and walked out of the battlefield much stronger.

Yet I would never believe that the man I once trusted the most would use my weakness and fears against me.

Chester just fell to the complete bottom in my eyes, but it couldn't change the fact he was right. Who could know what the judge would think if Chester decided to uncover my files?

It didn't matter that he lost all the money in casinos because I had no proof. He spent his nights with dangerous people, but there was no record of it. Unlike me, his activities, deeds, and wrongdoings were hidden under the facade of an outstanding citizen, caring father, and loving husband.

Another wave of cries came, crushing me under the weight of realization. I had three options to continue with my life.

The first: to pack Zara's and my things and escape. We would never look back, but we would have to constantly change our destination so Chester wouldn't find us. His threats were imprinted in my memory.

The second: accept the fact I was a prisoner in a loveless marriage with a psychopath. It was a dreadful idea, but Zara would be safe, and her life wouldn't be affected as much as it would be with an escape.

The third was Malin's suggestion, which didn't look so crazy after all.

I covered my wet face with my palms, shaking my head. All options were terrible. None of them would bring me happiness and calmness. I was trapped in a circle without an option to leave unharmed. Whatever I did would mark my life for eternity.

Not to mention Zara. She was in the middle of this, serving as leverage for my sick husband to blackmail me. How the hell did I end up here?

I dragged myself into the walk-in closet, clawing at my hair from the disgust that overcame me.

I didn't want to dress up nicely for my husband.

I didn't want to go out with him. Everything in me screamed at me to stop this nonsense and disappear from this continent so he couldn't push me into anything.

But that would only confirm his words about me.

I would become a kidnapper, an unstable mother who abducted her child from a loving home. No one knew what I went through with Chester. If I decided to do something reckless, it would backfire like a nuclear bomb.

I had to be clever about this. I had to play by his rules and catch him with his guard down. It was the only way to outsmart him. Otherwise, I would condemn my life to a punishment I didn’t deserve.

Living without my daughter was the worst thing that could happen to me. Zara was everything. She was the blessing the heavens sent me, the sun shining above my head. She was the reason I won over the monsters that plagued my life.

Chester didn't have the ability to kill my love for her, but he had the power to tear us apart. I had to prevent it. Somehow, I had to stop this madness and free us from him.

Malin's words rang in my ears when I pulled out a pair of jeans and a yellow blouse.