Page 133 of Ruins

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“Can you help me put that canvas up there?” I ask, pointing above my bed.

Romeo doesn’t argue. “Sure, let me grab some tools.”

He disappears for a few minutes before returning with a drill and nails in hand. With practiced ease, he pulls the bed away from the wall and begins hanging the canvas.

I watch him work, my arms crossing over my chest.

This painting—it’s a moment frozen in time. The first time Santo kissed me. The moment I thought maybe—just maybe—this marriage wouldn’t feel like a lifelong cage. But now, the brushstrokes feel like a mockery.

Romeo pushes the bed back and steps beside me, tilting his head as he admires my work. “It’s really good,” he says, and this time, his voice is free of teasing. It’s genuine.

I open my mouth to thank him, but his phone rings.

He answers it smoothly. “Go for Romero.” A low rumble crackles through the speaker.

His eyes flick to me.

He says nothing, just ends the call and walks out of the room without a word.

I don’t move.

Because I already know. I already know who’s calling me next. Sure enough, my phone rings.

Exhaling sharply, I answer tersely. “Yes?”

Santo doesn’t waste a second. His voice is a low growl through the phone.

“What was he doing in your room?”

My fingers tighten around the phone. Not this. Not again.

“He was helping me hang my canvas,” I reply coolly, my tone clipped, my patience already gone. “Is that a problem, husband?”

Santo doesn’t respond to my challenge, but I can feel his disapproval, thick and suffocating even through the phone.

Then it hits me. My stomach drops.

“Wait—you actually have a camera in my bedroom?”

“I told you I did,” Santo responds, unamused.

My breath catches.

“In the bathroom, too?”I demand, my incredulity growing.

A beat of silence.

Then, his voice, low and cryptic. “I’m not sure if I want to answer that or not.”

A hot, angry pulse rushes through my veins.

“It’s a yes or no question, Santo!” My voice rises, frustration spilling over.

Silence.

A dangerous kind of silence.

“Is there a camera in the bathroom?” I demand.

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