Page 50

Valeria

" O pen the door, Valeria!" Alice continued banging on the front entrance. "I know you're inside. Open, or I'm calling the police!"

My heart clenched painfully at the idea of the police seeing me in this state. However, my best friend wasn't a better prospect either. She would freak out. I knew it. Yet I didn't have any other choice but to let her inside because her threats escalated.

"Fine!" she shouted, hitting the wood like she wanted to break it. "I'm calling."

Exhaling loudly, I stuck the key into the lock and turned it. But I didn't have the courage to face her, so I only opened the door and walked to the living room.

Plopping on the couch, I tightened the bathrobe around my aching body, waiting for Alice and her scolding.

"What the fuck, Valeria?" she yelled, slamming the door hard. She appeared on the doorstep in the living room with an angry expression, looking like she ran all the way there. Her usually perfect hair was messy, her glasses skidded down her nose, and her blue blouse stuck out from her skirt.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, looking everywhere but at her. "I didn't hear you."

"You didn't hear me!" Alice repeated, throwing her bag onto the armchair. "The entire complex heard me. And what the hell happened to your face? "

The moment our gazes met, her face lit up in realization, and her expression went from angry to enraged in a millisecond.

"That fucker!" she hissed, dropping to her knees before me and taking my face tenderly into her palms. "I knew something terrible happened. I fucking knew it when you sent me a text with three mistakes!"

Tears ran down my face like waterfalls while she tried to wipe them away.

"Where is he, Valeria?" she asked, a threat evident in her strained voice. "Tell me where he is so I can kill him."

"Stop," I breathed, fighting with sobs that wanted to tear me apart. "Please, stop."

I burst into tears, choking with pain and humiliation. My feelings were everywhere, ripping me to shreds, but Alice wrapped her arms tightly around me, holding me together.

"It's okay, love," she whispered, soothingly moving her open palm up and down my back. "You're safe."

I held her for dear life, unable to control my shaking body. The desperate wails escaping me sounded like I was a mortally wounded wild animal. But I just couldn't help myself. If I tried to stop them, I would've exploded.

It took long minutes until I finally calmed down a little. My body was exhausted, and my mind was hazy. Alice's blouse was soaked with my helpless tears.

She gently patted my head and brushed my shoulders, serving as the support I desperately needed.

I'd never felt so broken and ashamed. It was as if my spirit had been torn away from my body and stomped and spit on.

Chester made me feel like a dirty, useless rag that deserved nothing but a beating and humiliation.

"You have to leave him, Valeria," Alice said gently, brushing my hair from my face. She sat on the carpet at my feet, looking at me like I was a shattered porcelain doll that was once a stunning beauty but ended up a pile of trash.

"I can't," I replied, wiping my cheeks and nose with a napkin. My eyes stung, and my jaw hurt like hell. I didn't want to know how scary I looked with a purple slash stretching across half of my face .

"Of course, you can," Alice claimed, taking my hands into hers. "You're staying with me. Where is Zara?"

The mention of my baby girl pushed another wave of fresh tears into my eyes. She couldn't see me like this. No one could see this.

"She's at school," I mumbled, clutching the napkin as if it was my lifeline.

"Fine, we'll take her with us," Alice stated, standing up. "Let's pack your things."

"No." I shook my head weakly. "You don't understand."

"Then explain it, Valeria, because I really don't understand why you want to stay with him." She exhaled, losing patience with me, but I just couldn't leave Chester, knowing he worked for someone powerful.

His threats were real. He had the ability and backup to take Zara from me. I couldn't let that happen. I had to be clever about this.

My daughter's safety was my number one priority because I knew Chester would gladly try to turn her against me. He would use her as leverage, as a tool to blackmail me. I couldn't let him drag her into our war. She didn't deserve that.

"I had an affair," I disclosed after a long pause, and Alice shot me a look as if she thought I had lost my mind. "But it's so complicated I'm not sure I can explain it properly."

"Well," she breathed, blinking in shock. "Try, please."

She sat in the armchair opposite me, crossing her legs. Her eyes were set on me, looking surprised and curious. She evidently didn't expect me to reveal such a massive secret. And it was only the beginning.

Word by word, I told her everything since the first meeting with the Zhumagulovs in Adam Rivers' casino.

The way Alice watched me made me wonder if she truly believed what I was saying, but she didn't interrupt me.

She listened to every word, sometimes shaking her head in disbelief or rolling her eyes, but when I mentioned the murder of George Harrow, she gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.

I stopped there, pausing for her to digest it before I moved to the best part.

Disclosing my suspicion about Zyon being the man under the mask felt silly, but Alice's focused glance forced me to continue.

I told her about the secret person Chester met at the fun fair, and I finished with Zyon's last words to me before we parted ways this morning.

"That's it," I said, nervously playing with the tissue. "Now you know everything."

Deafening silence settled between us when only our breathing could be heard. Alice glanced at me blankly, her expression telling me she was trying to process what she'd just heard. I could almost see the wheels in her head spinning from the tough thinking.

"Wow," she exhaled eventually, slowly shaking her head in disbelief. "You went through all of this without telling me?"

There was an accusatory hint in her voice that hit my heart hard. Maybe I should've expected she would be offended I’d kept secrets from her.

"Your dad is sick," I reminded her, standing up to get some water. My mouth was dry from the constant talking. "You work part-time jobs to pay the bills. I didn't want to add more to your plate."

"Seriously?" she whined, grasping the glass with water I handed her. "You have a psychopathic stalker who murdered a man because of you. Your husband is beating you. My bills are nothing compared to this!"

"I'm sorry, Alice," I said sincerely, slowly sitting back on the couch because my entire body protested against walking. "I didn't want to bother you."

"How can you say that?" she groaned, sitting beside me and wrapping her arms around my shoulders. "You never bother me. We are sisters, remember?"

She showed me a tiny scar from the vodka bottle we used to mark ourselves and tie our friendship forever. Mine wasn't as visible but was still there, reminding me of our close relationship.

"That's exactly why I didn't tell you anything," I sighed, hiding my face in her blouse. "To keep you away from this madness."

"It really is madness," she mumbled into my hair, her voice soaked with doubt. I pulled away from her, sipping water while she just stared forward.

My mind wandered between everything and nothing. The past and present mixed together, making me agitated about the future .

I didn't want to think about it. I was scared about today, tomorrow, and the following days. I couldn't imagine what Chester planned or might do when he returned home.

From my experience, I knew he wouldn't come back tonight. He would stay out with his buddies, playing cards or slot machines. But eventually, I would have to face him. I was petrified of looking into his disgusting face and pretending nothing happened.

Or should I stand up to him and risk being beaten again?

"I don't understand a few things," Alice broke the silence between us, and I whipped my head toward her.

I completely forgot she sat next to me for a second.

"If you believe Zyon is your stalker, why the hell don't you tell him about Chester?

He already killed George. He will erase your husband like he never existed. "

"First," I puffed out, gathering my thoughts.

"I don't know for sure that he's my stalker.

It's just my guess." Alice rolled her eyes with a grimace that suggested she was more than sure about it.

"And second, Chester is the father of my child.

What should I tell Zara? That her father was murdered by a mafia boss who will probably become her new daddy?

" I shook my head resolutely, refusing to drag Zyon into this.

"I have to find another way to push Chester out of our lives. "

"Stop giving me lame excuses, love," Alice said with raised brows, leaning into her seat. "I know you, and judging by your hesitation to tell him about your marriage, I'm positive you're worried he might get hurt by Chester's protector."

"Maybe," I admitted in a hushed voice, ashamed she figured out my true intentions.

Zara might miss Chester, but she knew he wasn't a good man. My little sweetheart had gone through some nasty experiences with her father, and she was happy when we left the first time. I was using her as an excuse, but Alice saw right through me.

Well, fifteen years of friendship couldn't be taken lightly.

"Show me the photo you took at the fun fair," Alice suggested. "Perhaps I know that mysterious bogeyman."

She winked at me, but I didn't find it funny. The world Zyon lived in was dangerous and destructive. His enemies would stop at nothing to get what they wanted .

I hastily showed Alice the photo, hoping she would shed some light on the mysterious man's identity. She observed it for a few torturous moments, wrinkling her nose and forehead in concentration.

"I'm not sure," she said under her breath, zooming in on the picture. "He looks like Giovanni Valentino, but I'm not sure."

"Who is Giovanni Valentino?" I asked eagerly, hissing in pain when I hit my bruised calf against the coffee table.

"Some old Italian boss," Alice replied, returning the phone. "I don't know much about that stuff. I only remember faces." She shrugged, furrowing her brows at the empty glass. "I think he attended Zyon's mother's birthday party. I served drinks there, and he congratulated her."

"But, if they are friends, why would he want him gone?" I mused, my scowling expression matching Alice's.

"I don't know," she answered, worry swirling in her irises. "And I still don't know what you plan to do about Chester."

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, but a picture of my furious husband holding the belt instantly appeared. Fear took me hostage, and I felt my body quivering.

"He won't return today," I whispered, avoiding Alice's look.

"But he will come tomorrow, and then what?

" she pushed, but her touch was gentle and calming when she took my hand.

"You need a plan, girl." She tenderly pushed my messy hair behind my ear, glancing at me with love shining in her eyes.

"What about taking photos of your beaten self and reporting Chester to the police? They will protect you."

"Yeah, sure," I groaned, recalling the memory of Officer Williams. "Chester will make the matter disappear and send me to hospital."

"This can't happen again, Valeria," Alice said firmly. "He will send you to the morgue instead."

"I know," I agreed, thinking about my options. Yet, every time I thought about them, I finished with only one that seemed the best .

"Triplets' birthday party is tomorrow, and I'm invited," I declared, turning to my best friend. "Zara will stay with Lisa, and I'll go to Starlight, find Zyon, and confront him about the stalker thing. Whether he confirms or denies it, I'll ask him for help."

"You promise?" Alice raised a doubtful brow at me. I could tell she knew my plan sounded solid, but the execution would be hard.

"I promise," I confirmed, feeling my chest tightening. But it was nothing compared to the panic that embraced me when I imagined staying with Chester.

"I still think you should call him right now." Alice crossed her arms over her chest, giving me a pointed look. "I don't like the idea of leaving you here when that bastard can return anytime."

"He won't," I claimed with absolute certainty. "He's already playing slot machines somewhere. I'll disappear before he comes here tomorrow."

Instinctively, I touched the swollen bruise on my jaw with my fingertips, glancing at Alice, who looked like she didn't understand my reasons one bit. But I knew what I was doing.

"My stalker can't see me like this," I said, motioning for my body. I purposely left out Zyon's name because no matter how badly I wanted him to be Zefarin, he had yet to confirm it. "He's insanely protective. He would do something stupid."

"That's exactly what you need right now," Alice claimed, frowning at me like a mother would on a misbehaving child. "Someone who would stupidly kick Chester's ass."

"I need one day, Alice," I begged, hoping she wouldn’t push me to do things I didn't want to do. This was bigger than me. Lives were at stake. "One day and Chester will be just a terrible memory."

She reluctantly nodded, but I saw in her eyes that she disagreed with me. Yet, she didn't understand what I felt toward my stalker. If something happened to him because of me, I would never forgive myself.

He did everything to protect me. He murdered a man to keep me safe. I knew he would take care of Chester without blinking, but if an influential person protected my husband, it could backfire .

A few bruises were nothing compared to the life of the man I loved. My best shot was to wait for the right moment to talk with Zyon and find a way out without explaining too much.

It was the best thing to do to avoid confrontation between him and Chester. That way, I would protect him and free myself and Zara of an abusive husband and father. I just had to find the courage to ask him that stupid question.