Page 86 of Gamble with Me
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 glanceforced 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.
