Chapter 53
The cafe smelled like roasted beans and cinnamon rolls. Usually, this is my favorite smell in the whole world (next to Gabriel's expensive sandalwood scent and the smell of a new yarn store).
But today... it smelled like anxiety.
I sat at the small round table near the window. My hands were wrapped around a cup of hot chocolate that had gone cold twenty minutes ago. The little marshmallows on top had melted into sad, white blobs.
I stared at them.
Blobs.
That's how I felt. Like a blob. A confused, terrified, pink blob.
I couldn't go home. Well, I could, but I couldn't call a taxi or an Uber. Our house—Gabriel's estate—is in the middle of nowhere. It's off the grid. The GPS on my phone literally turns into a spinning question mark whenever we get close to the driveway.
Gabriel says it's for "privacy."
Eli says it's because he is a murderer who executes people.
Huhu.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Stop it, Aleesha! Stop listening to the sad voice in your head!
Eli is sick. He is in the pajama place for a reason. He probably thinks the mailman is an alien too!
But... he looked so sad. He looked so broken when he said it.
"Your husband."
The words echoed in my brain like a broken record. Scritch. Scratch. Your husband.
I looked at my hands. The bandage on my right hand—the one Gabriel kissed yesterday—was still there.
Would a murderer kiss a bruise? Would a killer comb my hair? Would a monster buy me snail slime for my face?
No.
It's impossible. It's illogical. It's... it's crazy!
Gabriel fixes roofs! He moves boxes! He has a smiley face tattoo (well, I assume he likes it)!
Someone is lying. And it has to be Eli. Or... someone made Eli lie.
VROOM.
A low, purring growl vibrated through the window glass.
My head didn't move, but my eyes darted to the side.
There it was.
The black Aston Martin. Sleek. Shiny. Dangerous.
It parked right in front of the cafe, taking up two spaces because Gabriel doesn't care about parking lines.
Usually, this is the part where I squeal. This is the part where I grab my bag, run out the door, launch myself at him like a flying squirrel, and pepper his face with kisses! Mwah! Mwah! Mwah!
"Hello, my handsome husband! Did you miss me? I missed you!"
That's the script. That's the routine.
But today...
I couldn't move.
My legs felt like they were made of concrete. My butt was glued to the chair.
I just stared at the car door.
It opened.
Gabriel stepped out.
He was wearing a black suit today. No tie. The top button of his shirt was undone, revealing a tiny peek of his pale skin. He put on his sunglasses, scanned the street like a terminator searching for threats, and then looked at the cafe window.
He saw me.
Usually, I wave! I make heart hands!
Today... I just stared.
He frowned. I saw it even through the dark glass. A tiny crease between his eyebrows.
He walked toward the entrance. The bell chimed. Ding-ling.
He stepped inside. The whole cafe seemed to get quieter. He has that effect. He sucks the air out of the room just by existing.
He walked toward my table. His strides were long and confident.
"Aleesha," he said. His voice was deep. Smooth. Normal.
I looked up at him.
I tried to smile. I really, really tried! I told the corners of my mouth, 'Go up! Be happy!'
But my face wouldn't cooperate. It felt stiff. My smile came out looking like a grimace. Like I had just eaten a lemon wrapped in sandpaper.
Huhu. I can't even fake it! I am the worst actress!
Gabriel didn't smile back. He looked at my cold hot chocolate. He looked at my pale face. He looked at my hands clutching the mug.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Y-yes," I whispered.
He reached out.
I flinched. Just a tiny, microscopic flinch.
Gabriel froze for a millisecond. His eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses.
But he didn't say anything. He just took my hand gently, pulling me up from the chair. His grip was warm. Firm. Possessive.
He grabbed my pink backpack with his other hand.
"Let's go."
He escorted me to the car. He opened the door for me. He placed his hand on the top of the frame so I wouldn't bump my head.
So gentle. So careful.
See? He is good. He protects you.
I climbed in.
★
The door shut with a heavy, expensive thud.
Silence.
We were in the bubble. Just me and him.
Gabriel got in the driver's side. He started the engine.
We drove.
Usually, I am the DJ! I play pop music! I sing! I tell him about the cloud shapes!
Today... I looked out the window. I watched the city buildings turn into suburbs, and the suburbs turn into trees.
My mind was a hurricane.
Tell him. Don't tell him. Tell him. Don't tell him.
I wanted to blurt it out!
"Gabby! I met Eli! And he said you killed his parents! Isn't that silly? Tell me it's silly!"
But... what if he gets mad?
What if he asks, "Why were you talking to Eli?"
What if he asks, "Who is Eli?" (Because he pretended not to know him!).
And... the darkest, scariest thought...
What if he doesn't deny it?
What if I ask him, and he just looks at me with those cold, obsidian eyes and says, "Yes."?
I shivered.
No. I can't risk it. Ignorance is bliss! I want the bliss!
"Aleesha."
Gabriel's voice cut through the silence like a knife.
I jumped. "Y-yeah?"
He wasn't looking at me. He was staring at the road, his hands relaxed on the steering wheel.
"What is wrong?" he asked.
"Wrong?" I squeaked. "Nothing! Nothing is wrong! Everything is right! Left and right!"
"You did not run to the car," he listed the evidence. "You flinched when I touched you. You have not spoken a word for fifteen minutes. You are chewing your lower lip."
He glanced at me.
"Something happened at the hospital. Tell me."
I gulped.
He is too smart! He is Sherlock Holmes!
"It... it was just the patients," I lied.
It wasn't a total lie. Eli is a patient.
"They were... sad," I continued, wringing my hands together. "There were old people with no visitors. And... and people who were crying. It just made me feel heavy. You know? The vibe was... blue. Not pink."
I looked at him, hoping he would buy it.
"I am just an empath, Gabby! I absorb emotions like a sponge!"
Gabriel stayed silent. He turned the car onto the private road that leads to our estate. The trees were getting thicker. The shadows longer.
"Aleesha," he said calmly.
He slowed the car down a little.
"I know you better than anyone else."
He turned his head to look at me fully for a second before looking back at the road.
"You are a terrible liar," he stated. "Your left eye is twitching. And you are gripping your skirt."
He tapped the steering wheel.
"It was not the 'vibe'. Someone spoke to you. Or something happened. Tell me the truth."
The Truth.
He wants the truth.
But the truth is a bomb! If I drop the bomb, it explodes us!
I bit my lip so hard I tasted iron.
I can't tell him about Eli. I promised Eli I would help him get justice. If I tell Gabby that Eli is accusing him... Gabby might... he might get mad at Eli! He might send Eli away to a worse place!
Or... if Gabby is the bad guy (which he isn't!), then telling him would be dangerous!
But I have to tell him something! He won't stop asking!
Think, Aleesha! Think!
What is the middle ground?
Enemies.
Yes!
Eli said Gabby killed his parents. That means someone told Eli that. Someone fed Eli that lie. Someone hates Gabriel enough to brainwash a sad boy in a hospital!
That means Gabriel is in danger! Someone is plotting against him!
I have to warn him!
I took a deep breath.
"You..." I started, my voice shaky. "You have enemies, Gabby."
Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "I am a successful businessman. Success breeds envy. Of course I have enemies."
"No!" I shook my head, turning in my seat to face him. "Not business enemies! Not people who want your parking spots!"
I looked at him with wide, fearful eyes.
"Real enemies! Bad people! People who... who want to hurt you! And hurt your reputation!"
Gabriel's face went still. His grip on the wheel tightened slightly.
"Elaborate," he commanded.
"There are people..." I stumbled over the words. "People who are spreading lies! Terrible lies! They are telling people that you... that you do bad things! Violent things!"
I leaned forward, my heart hammering.
"They threatened... someone," I said vaguely (good job, Aleesha! Keep Eli anonymous!). "They forced someone to say bad things about you! To accuse you of... of killing!"
There. I said it.
I waited for him to laugh. I waited for him to say, "That is absurd, wife."
But he didn't laugh.
He didn't look surprised.
His face turned to stone. Cold, hard, unfeeling stone.
"Who?" he asked.
One word. But it was heavy.
"Who told you this?" he asked again, his voice dropping an octave. "Who did they threaten?"
"I... I can't say!" I cried. "But you have to believe me! You have to be careful, Gabby! Someone is trying to frame you! Someone is whispering poison!"
Gabriel swerved the car to the side of the road.
SCREECH.
He slammed on the brakes. The car stopped abruptly on the gravel shoulder.
He unbuckled his seatbelt and turned his whole body toward me.
"Aleesha," he said, his voice dark and intense. He reached out and grabbed my hand. "Look at me."
I looked at him. His eyes were blazing.
"Who spoke to you?" he demanded. "Was it a stranger? A student? Did someone approach you at the hospital?"
"It doesn't matter!" I wailed, trying to pull away. "Just know that there are bad guys! They hate you!"
"It matters," he growled. "I need names. Who are these enemies? Who are they using to get to me?"
He shook me gently.
"Tell me, Aleesha. Now."
"I can't!"
"Who is it?" he pressed, his voice getting louder. "Did they hurt you? Did they threaten you? Tell me!"
"No one hurt me!"
"Then who?! Give me a name!"
"I CAN'T!"
"Aleesha, for your own safety—"
"SHUT UP!"
The scream ripped out of my throat before I could stop it.
"JUST SHUT UP!"
I shoved his chest.
I pushed him away with both hands, panting heavily. Tears were streaming down my face.
"Just... stop asking!" I sobbed. "Just stop! I am trying to protect you! Why can't you just listen without interrogating me like... like a criminal?!"
I slumped back in my seat, covering my face with my hands.
Silence.
Dead, absolute silence.
The only sound was my ragged breathing and the ticking of the car engine cooling down.
I froze.
Oh my gosh.
I just screamed at Gabriel.
I just told the King of Logistics... the man who might be a murderer (according to Eli)... to Shut Up.
I peeked through my fingers.
Gabriel was sitting there. He hadn't moved. He was staring at me.
His face was blank. Completely void of emotion. But his eyes... his eyes were dark. Calculating. Dangerous.
He slowly removed his hands from the space near me. He placed them back on the steering wheel.
He stared straight ahead at the dark road.
He didn't yell back. He didn't scold me.
He just... existed in the silence.
And that silence was louder than any scream.
Huhu.
I messed up. I messed up big time.