Chapter 58
The bacon was crispy. The rice was fluffy. The garlic smell was heavenly.
Usually, this is the part where I inhale my food like a vacuum cleaner and ask for seconds! Nom nom nom!
But today... the bacon tasted like cardboard. And the rice felt like little stones in my tummy.
I stared at my plate. I poked a piece of bacon with my fork.
Poke.
Then I looked up.
Sitting across from me, sipping his black coffee and reading a newspaper was Gabriel Muratori.
My husband.
The man who combs my hair. The man who buys me gummy bears. The man who... allegedly... executed eight teenagers and cut out a tongue?
My heart started hammering against my ribcage. Thump-thump-thump.
I looked at his hands. They were holding the newspaper. They looked clean. Manicured. Elegant.
Could those hands really dismember people? Could those hands sign a death warrant for Eli's parents?
No, I told myself firmly. The Unknown Number is a liar. They are just a troll! A hater! A jealous rival from a competing logistics company who wants Gabby's shipping routes!
But... the files. The dates. The name "Alessandro Muratori."
And Eli's face. The way he cried.
I bit my lip. I wanted to ask him! I wanted to scream, "Gabby! Are you a mafia boss?! Yes or No?!"
But I couldn't. What if he says yes? What if he gets mad? What if he executes me? (Okay, he wouldn't do that, he loves me... right?)
Gabriel lowered the newspaper. His dark eyes locked onto mine.
"Aleesha," he said. His voice was calm, but it made me jump. "You have been staring at that piece of bacon for ten minutes. You have not taken a bite."
He tilted his head.
"What is wrong?"
I froze.
"Nothing!" I squeaked. "Nothing is wrong! Everything is peachy! Pink and peachy!"
"You are pale," he noted. "And you are shaking."
"Oh! That!" I clutched my stomach. "It's... it's period cramps! Yes! The Red Days! The monthly visitor! It hurts, Gabby!"
It was the ultimate excuse. Men don't ask questions about period cramps! It is the forbidden zone!
Gabriel's expression softened immediately.
"I see," he said. "Do you require medication? A hot water bottle?"
"No, I'm fine!" I stood up quickly. "I just need to shower! And go to school! Education waits for no one!"
I ran out of the dining room before he could offer to rub my tummy.
★
I showered (fastest shower ever!). I put on my uniform. I grabbed my bag.
Gabriel drove me to the university.
The car ride was silent. Usually, I play DJ. Today, I just clutched my pocket.
Inside my pocket was a secret weapon.
A Pink Pin.
It was shaped like a cute little bunny. It looked innocent. It looked like something I would buy at a stationery store.
But it wasn't just a pin.
Flashback to St. Dymphna's Hospital.
Eli had slipped it into my hand during our last meeting, right before he told me the truth.
"Take this," he had whispered, his eyes wild and desperate. "It's a micro-recorder. I stole it from the nurse's station... well, I modified a toy. Put it on him, Isha. If you don't believe me... listen to him when he thinks no one is listening."
End Flashback.
I felt the pin burning my fingers.
Spying on my husband.
It felt wrong. It felt dirty! Marriage is about trust! Marriage is about sharing fries! Not bugging your spouse like a CIA agent!
But... I need to know. I need to prove Eli wrong. I need to prove the Unknown Number wrong.
If I record him and he talks about boring boxes and shipping schedules, then I will know he is innocent! And I can sleep again!
The car stopped in front of the university gate.
"Have a productive day," Gabriel said, leaning over to unlock my door.
"Wait!" I said.
I turned to him. I forced a smile. It felt wobbly.
"Gabby... I have a gift!"
I pulled out the pin.
"Look! It's a lucky bunny!"
Gabriel looked at the small, pink, plastic rabbit in my hand. He raised an eyebrow.
"A... bunny?"
"Yes!" I nodded enthusiastically. "I bought a pair! One for me, and one for you! It's for protection! And luck! And... cuteness!"
I leaned over.
"Don't move!"
I reached for his belt. Specifically, the loop of his expensive leather belt on his left side.
I pinned the bunny onto the leather.
It looked ridiculous. A menacing, all-black outfit... with a pink plastic bunny on the hip.
Gabriel looked down at it. His brow furrowed. He reached out to remove it.
"Aleesha, I cannot walk into a board meeting with a rabbit on my—"
"No!" I stopped his hand. I pouted. The Level 10 Pout. "Please? Pleeeease? For me? It makes me happy to know we match! Don't take it off! Promise?"
I blinked my eyes rapidly, summoning tears (which wasn't hard because I was stressed!).
Gabriel sighed. He looked at the bunny. He looked at me.
He smirked. He chuckled, shaking his head.
"Fine," he muttered. "You are impossible."
"Yay!" I kissed his cheek. "Thank you! I love you! Bye!"
I scrambled out of the car before I could throw up from guilt.
I ran through the gates, clutching my chest.
I am sorry, Gabby! It's for your own good!
★
Classes were a blur.
I tried to listen. I took notes. But my brain was screaming: IS HE TALKING? IS HE CONFESSING?
Finally. Breaktime.
I didn't go to the cafeteria. I didn't find my friends.
I ran straight to the Girls' Bathroom on the 3rd floor (the quiet one).
I went into the last stall. I locked the door. I sat on the toilet lid.
I pulled out my phone. I put on my earphones.
I opened the App that Eli told me to download. It connected to the pin via some long-range frequency.
Connecting... Connected.
Static. Scrrrsshhhh.
Then... sounds.
Footsteps. The rustle of clothes.
I held my breath.
"Don Gabriel."
A voice! That's Luca!
"Speak," Gabriel's voice came through. Clear. Deep. Calm.
My heart hammered. This is it.
"The shipment from Tuscany," Luca said. "It arrived at the port an hour ago."
Shipment! Here we go!
"Good," Gabriel said. "Is the manifest correct?"
"Yes, Sir," Luca replied. "200 crates of the Vintage Merlot. The client is very eager. The temperature control was maintained throughout the voyage."
I blinked.
Wine?
"Excellent," Gabriel said. "Ensure it is delivered to the distributor by noon. And the other matter?"
Other matter! The bad stuff?
"The ceramics from Japan," Luca said. "They cleared customs. No breakage."
Ceramics? Like... plates?
"And Aleesha?" Gabriel asked suddenly.
I gasped quietly. He's talking about me!
"The guards reported she entered the campus safely," Luca said. "She is currently in her Web Systems class."
"Good," Gabriel murmured. There was a pause. I heard the sound of a pen scratching on paper. "She seemed... unwell this morning. Ensure the kitchen prepares soup for dinner. Something light."
My eyes filled with tears.
He is asking about me. He is worried about my fake cramps. He is ordering soup!
"Yes, Don Gabriel," Luca said. "Anything else?"
"No. Dismissed."
The sound of a door closing.
Silence.
I sat there in the bathroom stall, tears streaming down my face.
Wine. Ceramics. Soup.
No drugs. No hits. No "kill him."
I yanked the earphones out.
"See?!" I whispered to the empty bathroom. "See, Eli?! You are wrong! The Unknown Number is wrong!"
My husband is just a businessman! A caring, soup-ordering businessman who likes wine and plates!
He is innocent!
I wiped my face. I felt a massive weight lift off my shoulders. I felt lighter than air!
I can delete the files. I can block the number. I can tell Eli he needs better medication.
My Gabby is good.
★
Dismissal time came.
I ran to the car. Gabriel was waiting. The pink pin was still on his belt!
"Gabby!" I beamed. A real smile this time!
I hopped in and kissed his cheek. "Hi!"
"Hello," he smiled back. "Feeling better?"
"Much better!" I chirped. "The cramps are gone! It was a miracle!"
We went home. We changed clothes (he took off the belt, I swiped the pin and hid it in my drawer). We had the soup (it was delicious).
Everything was perfect.
We went to bed early.
The bedroom was dark, lit only by the moonlight filtering through the curtains.
We were lying under the duvet. I was snuggled up against him, my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
Thump. Thump.
The heartbeat of an innocent man.
"Aleesha," Gabriel's voice rumbled in his chest. It was soft. Gentle.
"Hm?" I hummed sleepily, tracing a button on his pajamas.
"Why?" he asked.
I frowned into the darkness.
"Why what?" I asked. "Why is the sky blue? Why do cats purr?"
"No," he said calmly.
He shifted slightly, turning his head so his lips were near my ear.
"Why were you spying on me?"
...
...
The world stopped.
My blood didn't just run cold. It froze. It turned into absolute zero ice.
My hand stopped tracing his button. My lungs forgot how to inhale.
What?
Did I hear him right?
Maybe I was dreaming?
I gulped. The sound was loud in the quiet room.
I stared at the wooden post of the four-poster bed. I couldn't move my head. I couldn't look at him.
How... how did he know?
The pin? Did he find it? Did he check it?
But he wore it all day! I heard the recording!
Or... did he know while I was listening?
My brain was short-circuiting. Bzzt. Error 404: Answer Not Found.
I tried to speak. I tried to make a joke. I tried to deny it.
"Spying?" I squeaked. My voice was an octave higher than usual. "Hehe... no... I wasn't... why would I...?"
I felt Gabriel's chest vibrate.
He chuckled.
It wasn't a mean chuckle. It was a soft, almost amused sound.
His hand, which was resting on my waist, moved up. He started stroking my hair. Stroke. Stroke.
"Aleesha," he murmured, his fingers tangling in my curls. "Do you not trust me?"
The question hung in the air.
Trust.
If I say no, I admit I was suspicious. If I say yes, I am a liar.
I shook my head against his chest. Vigorously.
"I trust you!" I whispered frantically. "I do! I trust you 100%! 1000%!"
Gabriel fell silent for a moment.
His hand continued to stroke my hair. Rhythmic. Hypnotic.
I waited for him to yell. I waited for him to ask about the pin. I waited for him to ask what I heard.
But he didn't.
"Trust," Gabriel said finally, his voice low and smooth like velvet, "is the basic foundation of a relationship. It is the structure that holds the roof up."
He kissed the top of my head.
"Without trust... the house collapses."
He tightened his arm around me.
"Sleep, Aleesha."
I closed my eyes tight.
I pretended to sleep.
But my heart was pounding so hard I thought he could feel it through his ribs.
He knows.
He knows I spied.
But he isn't mad. He isn't asking what I found.
Because... because he has nothing to hide? Right?
Right?
But as I drifted into a restless sleep, one question haunted me more than Eli's accusations.
If he knew I was listening...
Did he talk about the wine... because he knew I was listening?