Page 74

Valeria

Z ara tried really hard not to cry when she saw me, and the same went for Alice. They ran into my arms, squeezing me for dear life before they realized I was covered in bruises. I reassured them everything was okay, but their expressions told me they didn’t believe me.

Zara led me to the couch, brought me tea and biscuits, and chirped about her new math assignment and the help she got from Malin, who turned out to be a math genius, while Alice just quietly sat beside me.

Of course, if Malin had graduated from MIT, he surely wouldn’t have been stupid, but the fact that he had spent time teaching my daughter surprised me the most. I couldn’t imagine them solving problems because well, Malin didn’t tend to talk.

How did he explain anything when his average word count per day was five at best?

“Also,” Zara interrupted my thinking, “I have a new room, and I sleep there alone.”

My brows shot up because she hadn’t mentioned it the last time we FaceTimed.

“Alone?” I echoed, glancing at grinning Zyon. It was the first time since he barged into my hospital room that he smiled. And fuck, he was gorgeous when he was happy. He could overshadow the sun.

“Almost alone,” Alice pointed out, smiling .

“Bluff sleeps on the floor, but it doesn’t count, right?” Zara said, affectionately scratching the massive dog who rarely left her side behind his ears. He placed his enormous head on her legs, looking at her with all the devotion in the world. She had found a best friend in him.

“He isn’t a person.” I shrugged, watching Zyon pour himself a generous glass of whiskey. He downed it as if it was water. A chill ran down my spine just from imagining how it would taste and burn my insides.

“What about a transfer to the new school?” I asked, zoning out of Zara’s excited talking because Zyon had just picked up his phone. But I couldn’t hear anything. He disappeared into his office and closed the door, isolating me from everything.

I knew what I signed up for, but it still got to me that he didn’t talk to me about his work.

Specifics weren’t required. I just wanted him to know I was there if he needed someone to talk to.

The secrets between us could create an abyss we wouldn’t be able to cross, and they would eventually separate us.

I couldn’t let that happen. I had to find a way to push through.

"Are you okay?" Alice disturbed my thinking, using Zara going to her room as an opportunity to check in with me.

"I will be," I answered hopefully, casting her a tired smile. "Thank you for taking care of Zara."

"Always." She squeezed my hand, looking at me lovingly. "I'm here for whatever you need."

"Thank you," I whispered gratefully. "How is your dad?" I asked, directing the conversation elsewhere. I hated being the center of attention. I wanted this nightmare to finally end.

"Good for now," she replied, but I didn't learn more because Zara returned with the school assignment she wanted to show me, and Alice had to go to work.

After a light dinner, during which Zara didn’t stop talking, I sat her in the living room again and asked about Lisa. She refused to tell me about it at first, but eventually, she repeated her grandmother’s questions.

Zara had an unbelievable memory. She could recite everything word by word as if she were reading it from the paper.

My heart clenched while I listened to her.

Zara was confused about what Lisa wanted but understood that her interest in Zyon was suspicious.

She asked me some questions that made me sweat but didn’t mention Chester, and I avoided the topic, too.

One day, she would ask about him. She would demand an explanation, but thankfully, it wasn’t today.

I put her to bed around ten, enjoying every second with her.

While I was in the hospital, I forbade Zyon from bringing her for a visit because I didn’t want her to see me beaten to a pulp.

The sight would traumatize her for eternity.

It was enough that she learned that her father had done that to me. She didn’t need to see his masterwork.

With Bluff in the room, Zara almost instantly fell asleep. Zyon claimed it was because she finally felt safe, and I couldn’t agree more. The combination of a deadly guard dog, Zyon in the next room, and bodyguards patrolling the perimeter also comforted me.

After a long bath, I changed into my pajamas and decided on my approach to get some information from Zyon. I had the entire plan prepared, but it all collapsed when he didn’t come to bed.

It was midnight when I lost patience and left the bedroom, determined to find him.

He didn’t text me to say he would leave the house, so I assumed he was in his office, but he wasn’t.

He wasn’t in the kitchen, living room, or the garage.

He didn’t pick up his phone and wasn’t swimming, playing pool, or cards with the bodyguards.

They said Zyon was at home, but it was difficult to believe them when I checked the entire house and couldn’t locate him.

Eventually, I chose to go through the guest rooms. It was a blind shot because I would never expect him to choose to sleep alone rather than next to me. Yet when I finally found him in the last bedroom on the first floor, I knew we had real trouble.

Zyon deliberately avoided me, and it hurt more than a punch in the face from Chester. It made my poor heart constrict with fear of losing him. One look at his lying form in a different bed sent me into a spiral of silent panic.

“Zyon?” I whispered in a trembling voice, stepping inside. The room was submerged in darkness, and only the moonlight from the uncovered window enlightened his tattooed back .

He slowly raised his head, turning toward the door. He couldn’t see me. Maybe he wasn’t sure he heard me, so I spoke again.

“It’s me, Valeria.” I closed the door behind me, realizing my palms were sweaty. “Why are you here?”

He stretched his arm and turned on the lamp. The light instantly illuminated the stunning dark interior, but I was focused on his frowning face. He hadn’t slept. His hair was too perfect for colliding with a cushion, and from what I knew, he never wore watches in the bed.

“I didn’t want to argue,” he answered after a long, heavy pause, leaning against the headboard. “I hate fighting with you, so I chose to avoid it.”

The burly boulder that almost crushed my chest lifted a little.

“Wouldn’t it be better to talk about it?” I asked, slowly approaching the bed. The distance between us seemed endless. I needed to touch him, smell him, and hide in his arms to feel safe.

“You don’t talk, mon c?ur,” he mumbled sadly. “You constantly yell at me. Whatever I say or do, you throw Zara, Chester, and security measures at me. You shout that I kidnapped you, and don’t forget I tied you to a chair. I’m a monster that forces you to live under his roof.”

“That’s not true, my love.” I shook my head resolutely, climbing the mattress. “It’s just…”

Suddenly, I didn’t know what to say to my defense.

Was I traumatized? Yes.

Did I take it out on him? Yes.

Did I mean what I said? Fucking no!

Zyon was my life, and just the thought of making him doubt it almost shattered me.

But how did I explain it?

I had been acting like a lunatic since I’d woken up in the hospital. I blamed him for everything, even when he did nothing but love me. I subconsciously knew I was a mess, but I didn’t realize how much I hurt him until I saw him sitting before me like a pile of pure sadness.

“I’m sorry,” I breathed, unable to find words to describe how I felt. Chester broke me. Not only the physical violence but the mental suffering and manipulation took their toll on me. The realization he was willing to kill me just to hurt someone else struck me like lightning.

I was the mother of his child, for Christ’s sake! Didn’t he have any respect for me?

The answer was no. I knew it, but I had difficulty accepting it. I couldn’t bear the fact I spent eight years with a man who didn’t give a fuck about me.

“Come here, mon c?ur.”

Zyon lay on his side and patted the place beside him. I joined him under the duvet, and he threw it over our heads.

“This is our safe bubble,” he said with a kind smile, taking my hand. I moved closer to him, my body instantly reacting to his touch. “Whatever we say here stays here. You can tell and ask me anything. It’s a judgment-free, honest zone.”

I nodded, chewing my bottom lip. Zyon’s gentleness and reaction to my current state caught me unprepared.

However, I should have predicted it. He was perfect in making me feel seen, heard, and loved.

He was incredible in giving me what I didn’t know I needed.

He was the man who not only crowned me the queen of his kingdom but also made me feel like it.

“Tell me what’s bothering you, Valeria,” Zyon said, brushing my hair away from my eyes. His touch was tender like a feather, and his voice soft like summer rain.

“Lisa and Chester,” I replied truthfully.

“Lisa Kellerman won’t be a problem,” he stated confidently, but I didn’t believe him.

“If she is working with the FBI—” I started, yet Zyon instantly interrupted me.

“My people created a false route from New York airport to Europe,” he explained, pulling me closer. “According to it, Chester bought a plane ticket under a false name and fled the country. A man who looked like him left the airport in Madrid two hours ago. ”

“It won’t take long for the FBI to realize the truth,” I objected, but Zyon only smiled.

“There is no evidence of the crime, mon c?ur. I was agitated when I took you from the hospital because I didn’t have all the information.” He kissed the top of my hand and entwined our fingers, keeping me as close as possible. “Lisa didn’t give them anything. You have nothing to worry about.”

“Okay,” I whispered, even when I still had doubts. A situation like this could always return and unexpectedly bite us in the ass. Yet Zyon looked confident, so I let it be. I just hoped that one day I wouldn’t say I told you so while he was led to his prison cell.

“And,” I paused for a second, inhaling deeply, “where is Chester?”

“Paying for his crimes,” Zyon repeated the answer he had already given me, but it wasn’t enough.

“Can you be more specific?” I demanded, pulling away when he tried to kiss me. He grimaced and placed his head on the cushion, watching me closely.

“I arranged seven men to rape him repeatedly,” he answered stoically, his eyes glued to my shocked face.

“You what?” I managed to gasp, my eyes almost falling from their sockets as I stared at Zyon’s emotionless expression in disbelief.

“You heard me.” His grip on my hand tightened when I wanted to cover my opened mouth with it. “He’s getting what he earned.”

“That’s…” I whispered, unable to find the right word.

“Thoughtful? Creative? Nasty?” Zyon fired back, a sinister smile crossing his face.

“Sick,” I exhaled, shocked to the core.

“I aimed for romantic, mon c?ur,” he pouted, his demonic eyes shining viciously. “Do you not like what I arranged for him?”

“You’re insane,” I said, cupping his cheeks .

“And you love it.” Zyon brushed his nose against mine, still grinning. The more I looked at him, the more I agreed with him. My entire body quivered from the thought of what Chester was going through, but at the same time, I was ecstatic he suffered.

My feelings were indescribable. My system was flooded with relief and gratitude. It was over. He would never again hurt me.

“I am insane, too, you know,” I muttered against Zyon’s tempting lips. “Instead of running away from you, screaming and praying to God to save my poor soul, I’m grateful and happy for what you have done to him.”

“You’re very welcome, ma reine,” he breathed, his perfect French underlining the new loving pet name.

“I am your queen?” I asked, clinging to him. My body craved to melt into his.

“Have you ever doubted it?” he countered, his hot breath fanning my neck when he placed a chaste kiss there.

“No.” I buried my fingers into his silky hair, enjoying the attention he was giving me.

Yet simultaneously, I decided to use his distraction.

“I have one request, though,” I whispered, throwing my leg over his hip.

His hand instantly grabbed my ass. The mild pain from a fading bruise monetarily distracted me, bringing a memory of Chester to life.

“Your wish is my command, mon c?ur,” Zyon claimed, pecking the tip of my nose. “Just say what you want, and you shall have it.”

The poor man didn’t estimate the weight of his promise, and I planned to use it to the maximum.

“I want to see Chester for one last time,” I disclosed in one go, watching Zyon’s hooded eyes widen in surprise.

“Why?” he asked in apparent disbelief, examining my face as if the answer was written there.

“I need closure, Zyon,” I said, suddenly realizing I had difficulty getting oxygen into my lungs under the duvet. My fragile mental state only imagined meeting my abuser, and my heart rate rapidly increased, my breathing turning shallow .

“You need rest, Valeria. Far away from that son of a bitch,” Zyon exclaimed, pulling the cover away when he noticed my distress. “He is almost finished. It’s not a pretty sight. Just forget him.”

“You promised to give me what I want,” I reminded him of his careless promise. “I want to see him for the last time.”

“Valeria,” Zyon sighed, his eyes held a worry I had never seen before. “You have no idea what you’re asking for.”

“I already need therapy,” I joked, trying to enlighten the mood, but Zyon didn’t smile. His face stayed deadly serious.

“Please,” I whispered, the chain squeezing my chest loosened its hold on me, but my heartbeat still echoed in my ears. “I really need to put an end to it.”

For a long moment, none of us said anything. I controlled my heavy breathing, finding comfort in Zyon’s arms while he thought about my plea. I almost saw the wheels in his head turning while he mindlessly brushed my hair and kissed my temples and forehead tenderly.

He was in protective mode. He didn’t want me to face the reality of the punishment he inflicted on Chester. However, it was the only way to close this chapter of my life and move on. I wanted to see him on his knees, broken and disgraced. I had to be sure he was gone.

“If he is alive tomorrow,” Zyon disturbed my thinking, “I’ll take you to him.” He looked me dead in the eyes, the severity of his glance making my stomach clench. “But if it’s too much, we immediately leave. Understood?”

“Yes,” I confirmed, leaning into his palm on my cheek. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, mon c?ur,” he said, leaning closer and resting his forehead against mine. “He isn’t dead yet.”