Page 36

Valeria

W e waited for Zara before her school, silently sitting in the car.

I felt Chester's eyes on me, but he didn't start a conversation.

I pretended to read on my phone, not paying attention to our surroundings.

Only when he opened the car door did I lift my head from the screen and see Zara on the stairs.

She instantly noticed him and froze in the middle of her next step.

She turned toward the teachers at the main entrance as if she wanted to ask them for help.

My heart constricted painfully when I saw how nervous she was.

After what she witnessed him do in her grandmother's house, no one could blame her for not being excited to go with him.

I exited the car just in time for Zara to reach the bottom of the stairs. I probably caused her unnecessary stress, but I had to see her reaction when she thought only her father had come. It confirmed my thoughts about her being terrified of him.

It also made me wonder if she hadn’t hidden some experiences with him that would cause her trouble sleeping.

After we moved out, she didn't pee herself, but I subconsciously expected it every night.

If she witnessed something traumatizing with her father that would affect her mental state this much, I was prepared to sue him.

I didn't care about my files, arrest record, or anything.

If he wanted to picture me as a suicidal mother, I would make him an abusive father .

"Mommy!" Zara ran toward me with her arms wide open, and I crouched to welcome her in my embrace. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Chester's frowning face, which he hid behind a pair of expensive dark glasses.

"How was your day, sweetheart?" I asked, brushing Zara's hair. It flew everywhere around her beautiful face.

"Successful," she replied, smiling. "I qualified for a math competition."

"That's amazing." I squeezed her in my arms. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." Her smile slightly wavered when Chester placed his hand on her shoulder, and she lifted her eyes to look at him.

"It's the one we trained for yesterday?" he asked, smiling softly.

"Yes." She nodded, turning back to me. "Dad taught me negative numbers. None of my classmates knew it while I had all the right answers."

"Clever girl," Chester praised, patting her head, and my stomach sank. He never cared for her education. He didn't do homework with her. Again, his first time was met with tremendous success, which he would surely rub all over my face later.

"Let's go, girls. Funfair is waiting." Chester stretched his hand toward me to help me stand up, but I ignored it.

I held Zara's palm tightly, turning to the car.

Zara didn't express a tiny pinch of excitement about the trip but followed his commands without a word.

She never dared to say anything to oppose him or throw a tantrum.

She demanded nothing from us but thrived when we gave her attention. She was my perfect girl.

"Do you want to grab some lunch now, or we'll eat in the park?" Chester asked when we got inside, and I fastened Zara's seatbelt.

"Hotdogs?" Zara beeped, her eyes shining with hope. I tried to keep her on healthy, nutritious food, but I could make an exception.

"Burgers." Chester grinned into a rearview mirror, and she giggled. If this were reality, I would give our marriage a hundred chances. But I feared his interest was just a game to fool us.

"What about pancakes?" I added to the discussion, earning a snort from Chester .

"Really, Mommy?" Zara whined, and I laughed. "Where do you want to find pancakes in the amusement park?"

"You would be surprised what you can find there," Chester lectured, winking at her and lining the car smoothly into the traffic.

The ride was long because we had to travel to Queens, but Chester kept the conversation flowing, and his jokes and stories lightened the mood.

After some time, Zara completely relaxed and talked so much that I couldn't believe my ears.

She told us about her classmates, teachers, and assignments that we didn't have a clue about.

She prepared for school alone, with only a minor oversight, because she always knew everything.

I could count on the fingers of one hand how many times I checked her homework.

"We're here," Chester announced after almost an hour when I had to mask the rumbling of my stomach. I was starving.

Before I could open my mouth, Zara jumped out of the car and sprinted to the nearest candy stall. I shook my head resolutely, following her to the kindly smiling middle-aged lady in a red dress with white stripes and a hat with the same pattern. She looked like a walking lollipop.

"Please, Mommy." Zara batted her eyelashes, but it never worked on me. I opened my mouth to protest against sweets before lunch when Chester appeared behind me.

"Please, Mommy," he joined her, gently nudging me with his elbow. "We want candy."

"You, too? Really?" I drifted my gaze between them, feeling overpowered.

"Mommy, please ." Zara clapped her hands before her face in a pleading gesture, and an exasperated sigh escaped from my lips. Her stomach would hurt, but what could I do against two of them?

"One piece," I agreed eventually, but they didn't listen. Zara picked the most giant, colorful lollipop I had ever seen, and Chester took a whole pack of caramel candies and red and green sweetmeats. I rolled my eyes at their choice, proceeding to the stall with pizza .

The delicious smell overwhelmed my senses, and my mouth watered. A cute, maybe twenty-five-year-old man flashed me a wide, toothy smile, his curly blond hair falling to his green sparking eyes.

"What can I do for you, my lady?" he asked, flirtatiously winking at me.

I almost burst out laughing. I never had a problem catching men's attention, but my interest wasn't in younger guys.

He was adorable and made an impression of a playful puppy, which wasn't my thing.

I preferred growly, brooding, dark wolves or bears.

"Let's wait for my husband." I smiled, noticing the immediate effect of my words on him. His smile faded, and he averted his eyes from me.

During my relationship with Chester, I didn't flirt or play games with other guys.

I didn't feel the need for it. I was a good, faithful wife who respected her husband.

I didn't understand what changed my morals to the point of starting an affair with a man whose name and face were a mystery.

But I knew I didn't need another thrill in my life.

I was a confident woman who didn't need appreciation and reassurance from others to know her worth. And thanks to it, I also knew I’d had enough bullshit from my husband.

He was terrific with Zara when he wanted to be.

He could be the best father ever. But it never lasted.

I dreaded the moment Zara would realize it was another of his acts.

She would cry for hours, claiming he didn't love her.

"Did you place your order?" Chester stirred me from my thoughts, touching the small of my back. Zara appeared before me, sticking out her green tongue and giggling.

"I'm waiting for you two," I replied, standing back in the line.

"I want a slice with pineapple," Zara announced, licking her lollipop. Chester rolled his eyes but said nothing. He hated pineapple in general. For him, it was the greatest sin to place it on pizza.

"I'll take pepperoni," he said, hurrying behind Zara. She was already climbing on a horse on a carousel.

I was surprised Chester didn't send me to watch over her. His behavior was outstanding but weird. I couldn't forget his threats because he acted like a decent human.

Months ago, he would have fooled me, but something snapped in me. I didn't believe anything he said. If he thought that one day out, playing a family, could persuade me to stay with him willingly, he hadn’t noticed the shift in me. He was the same blind man I married eight years ago.

I ordered food and sat behind the empty table, watching Chester and Zara enter the Ferris wheel.

I didn't want to interrupt their fun, so I fished my phone from my purse, taking photos of them.

Then I replied to Alice's text, wishing her dad good luck.

He should be undergoing heart surgery tomorrow.

She didn't want me to come to the hospital as support, so at least this way, I wanted her to know I thought about them.

Scrolling through the videos, I was interrupted by an incoming message, and my heart skipped a beat.

Unknown Number : Enjoying the time with your family, mon c?ur?

My eyes widened, and I hastily looked around. However, every other man had a phone in their hand.

Valeria : Are you watching me?

The response came in a matter of seconds.

Blocked Number : Always.

Staring at the screen in disbelief, I threw the phone back into my bag, angrily chewing my ham pizza. Zefarin could infuriate me even quicker than Chester.

His possessiveness and insane obsession with me both scared and flattered me.

It made my heart beat faster with fear and excitement.

It brought butterflies in my stomach to life because I never knew what he might do.

I enjoyed the thrill the adventure with him provided, and I loved the woman he found and woke up under the surface of a meek housewife.

He was the reason I stood up to Chester.

He showed me I deserved more than crumbs.

Still, his tactics and actions scared the shit out of me, even when they made me feel alive.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Kellerman."

I winced in shock, almost inhaling the piece of pizza into my lungs, when my eyes landed on the fat, round figure of George. I didn't remember his surname, and Zyon never mentioned it. But his face, with a lecherous look of his green eyes, was unforgettable .

"Hello," I said, wiping my mouth. "I didn't expect to see you here."