Page 58 of Gamble with Me
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.
-28-
Valeria
We 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.
