Chapter 55
Sizzle. Hiss. Chop.
The kitchen smelled like heaven. Specifically, garlic, butter, and expensive steak.
I sat on the high stool at the marble island, resting my chin in my hands. I watched him.
Gabriel.
He had rolled up the sleeves of his black dress shirt to his elbows, revealing his forearms. He was moving around the kitchen with that terrifying, beautiful efficiency he applies to everything.
He didn't just chop an onion; he disassembled it with surgical precision. He didn't just flip the meat; he calculated the trajectory.
He looked... perfect.
"Is it done yet?" I asked, swinging my legs.
"Five minutes," he replied without looking back. "Patience is a virtue, Aleesha."
"Patience is boring!" I countered. "Hunger is urgent!"
He glanced over his shoulder. A tiny, barely-there smirk touched his lips.
"Here."
He picked up a small piece of seared beef with a fork, blew on it gently, and held it out to me.
I opened my mouth like a baby bird. Nom.
It melted on my tongue! Waaaaah! So good!
"Mmm!" I hummed, chewing happily. "You are the best chef in the world! You should quit Logistics and open a restaurant! We can call it 'The Grumpy Steakhouse'!"
Gabriel turned back to the stove, shaking his head.
"So," he said casually, flipping the pan. "How was your day? You mentioned you learned 'things'."
My chewing slowed down.
The Lie.
My day was spent with Sean, staring at green code, trying to learn how to hack my husband's phone because a boy in a mental hospital told me my husband is a murderer.
That is not a good dinner conversation.
I swallowed the beef. It suddenly felt a little like a rock.
"Oh! It was... great!" I lied, forcing my voice to be bubbly. "I just... you know! Studied! I reviewed my old textbooks! Because... since I got my Honors back, I want to be super prepared! I read about... algorithms! And... data structures! Very boring stuff!"
I grabbed my glass of water and took a big gulp to hide my face. Gulp, gulp, gulp.
Huhu. I am a bad wife. I am lying to the man who is feeding me steak.
But I have to!
I looked at his broad back.
I have to prove he is innocent. I have to find the real perpetrator—the real bad guy who hurt Eli's parents. Because if I find the real bad guy, I can show Eli the proof! I can say, "See, Eli? It wasn't Gabby! It was this guy!"
Then Eli will be happy (or at least, have closure). And Gabriel will be safe from false accusations. And I... I will be able to sleep without hearing "Your husband" in my nightmares.
I am doing this for us. I am doing this to save our little family.
"Algorithms," Gabriel repeated, turning off the stove. "Fascinating."
He plated the food. Two perfect steaks. Asparagus (ew, green stuff, but I eat it for him). Mashed potatoes that looked like clouds.
He carried the plates to the island and set one in front of me.
"Eat," he commanded.
We ate in comfortable silence. Well, he was comfortable. I was eating fast because I had a plan! A big, secret, romantic plan!
I finished my last bite of potato.
"Done!" I announced, wiping my mouth with a napkin.
Gabriel looked at his half-finished plate. "You inhaled your food."
"Digestion is for the weak!" I declared.
I hopped off the stool. I walked around the island to where he was sitting.
"Stand up," I ordered.
Gabriel raised an eyebrow. He wiped his mouth gracefully and stood up. He towered over me.
"What is this, Aleesha?"
"Shhh," I put a finger to his lips. "No questions. Only following!"
I grabbed his hand. His palm was warm and rough.
I led him out of the kitchen.
"Where are we going?" he asked as I dragged him through the hallway. "The bedroom is upstairs."
"Not the bedroom!" I giggled (nervously). "To the back! To the wild outdoors!"
I pulled him toward the glass sliding doors that led to the backyard.
It was nighttime now. The sky was pitch black.
I opened the door. The cool night air hit us.
"Close your eyes!" I demanded.
Gabriel sighed the sigh of a man who deals with multinational shipping crises but is currently being bossed around by a girl in bunny slippers (okay, I changed into flats, but spiritually, they are bunny slippers).
"Aleesha..."
"Close them! Or I will cry!" I threatened.
He closed his eyes.
"Good boy!"
I guided him. Step by step.
We walked onto the stone path. The crickets were chirping. Chirp-chirp.
We walked past the manicured hedges. Past the rose bushes I pretend to take care of. Toward the Pond Area.
"Okay," I whispered, my heart pounding with excitement. "Stop."
We were standing on the wooden deck overlooking the koi pond.
"Open!" I shouted.
Gabriel opened his eyes.
He blinked.
Once. Twice.
His eyes widened. Just a tiny, microscopic fraction. But for Gabriel Muratori, that is basically a scream of shock.
"This..." he murmured.
The garden was transformed.
I had spent all afternoon (after the failed hacking session) setting this up with Sean, Marcus, and Luca. It was a sea of Red and Black.
Red ribbons were tied around the trunks of the old oak trees, fluttering in the gentle breeze.
Black and Red balloons (hundreds of them!) were floating on the surface of the pond, bobbing gently among the lily pads.
Fairy lights—warm, golden ones—were draped everywhere.
They hung from the branches like weeping willows made of stars.
They wrapped around the railings of the deck.
They illuminated the darkness with a soft, magical glow.
And on the ground...
A path of Deep Red Rose Petals.
The path led to the center of the deck.
And sitting there, right by the water's edge, was a large, round Daybed.
It was covered in black silk sheets. And scattered on top of it were more red petals, arranged in the shape of a giant heart (okay, maybe it looked a bit like a tomato, but the intention was there!).
"What is all this?" Gabriel asked, his voice low. He looked around, scanning the lights, the balloons, the ribbons.
He looked... stunned.
"Do you like it?" I bit my lip, suddenly shy. "I know you like black... and red. So I made it... goth-romantic? Is that a theme?"
Gabriel turned to look at me. The fairy lights reflected in his dark eyes, making them look like galaxies.
"Aleesha," he said softly.
"Come on!" I pulled his hand again.
I led him to the daybed.
"Sit!"
I pushed him gently by the shoulders.
He sat on the edge of the bed, right on the petal-heart. He looked so out of place but also... he fit perfectly.
"Wait here!"
I ran to the small table hidden behind a bush.
I picked up the box.
I walked back to him.
I stood between his knees (my favorite spot).
I held out the cake.
It wasn't a big, fancy tiered cake. It was a simple, elegant cake. Dark chocolate ganache. Glossy and black.
On top, there were no candles (I didn't want to trigger the fire alarm again).
Just a single, red sugar flower. (A red camellia. I googled it. It means "Unpretending Excellence." That is Gabby).
And written in gold icing were the numbers: 39.
Gabriel stared at the cake.
He stared at the number.
He didn't move. He didn't speak. He just looked at it like it was a foreign object he couldn't identify.
His face was completely blank. But his hands... his hands were resting on his knees, and I saw his fingers twitch.
"You..." he started, his voice rough. He cleared his throat. "You know."
"Of course I know!" I whispered. "I am your wife! It's in the dossier! I mean... the marriage certificate!"
I smiled softly.
"You didn't say anything this morning," I said. "You went to work like it was a normal day. You didn't even buy yourself a cupcake."
I lowered the cake a little so I could see his face better.
"But birthdays are important, Gabby. It's the day the world got you. And... even if you think you're just a logistician or... or whatever..."
(Even if Eli says you are a monster).
"...I am happy you were born."
Gabriel looked up from the cake. He looked into my eyes.
The look on his face... it broke my heart a little.
He looked confused. He looked like he didn't know what to do with this kindness. Like he wasn't used to people celebrating his existence.
He usually celebrates deals. Mergers. Papers. Boxes.
But not him.
"Happy Birthday," I whispered.
I leaned forward.
I placed the cake carefully on his lap.
Then, I cupped his face with my hands.
He stayed frozen.
I leaned in and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to his forehead. Right between his brows, where the frown lines usually live.
I pulled back just an inch, looking into his obsidian eyes.
"Make a wish, Gabby," I whispered. "Even if there are no candles. Just... wish for something. For you."
Gabriel stared at me.
The fairy lights twinkled around us. The balloons bobbed on the water.
He didn't look at the cake. He didn't close his eyes to wish.
He just looked at me.
And for a second, I saw something flicker in his eyes. Something raw. Something human.
"Happy Birthday," I mouthed again.