CHAPTER 7

Araceli

My whole body started shaking, like something inside me was breaking loose. I couldn’t breathe properly. My chest burned, and my ears were ringing, and when I looked down, there was so much blood pouring from my fingers that my stomach twisted.

He shot me.

My husband shot me.

“Jesus Christ! Matvei—what the hell?!” someone yelled.

I turned, crying so hard I could barely see, and saw Geal rushing toward us. Matvei was just standing there, staring at me, like nothing had happened, like he hadn’t just put a bullet through my hand.

“H-he shot me,” I sobbed, my words tripping over each other. “H-he wants to kill me. He killed someone. Please—call the police. Please.” I clutched Geal’s arm, terrified Matvei would lift the gun again and shoot him too.

But Geal didn’t answer. He pulled off his shirt and wrapped it tightly around my fingers. The pressure made me cry out. The pain was sharp and hot, and I couldn’t stop shaking.

“I think I’m dying,” I whimpered, tears running down my face. “I don’t want to die.”

Geal held me as he rushed me into the kitchen, my feet barely touching the floor. My head felt light, like I might pass out any second. He sat me down and opened a first-aid kit, gently rinsing my hand.

Every touch made me flinch. I cried nonstop, hiccuping, begging him to stop even though I knew he was trying to help. I was so scared I could barely think. All I could see was the blood, all I could feel was the pain, and all I could hear was my heart pounding in my ears.

I kept looking over my shoulder, waiting for another gunshot. Matvei might kill Geal before he leaves this house. 

“You’re going to be fine,” Gael said slowly. “He only grazed your fingers, Araceli.”

“You—you should go,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “Before he kills you. You should—should leave.”

Gael shook his head. “He won’t shoot me. Calm down.” His tone was too steady, like nothing was wrong. “I’m sorry you had to see that, but the gardener was an intruder.”

He placed a cotton pad over my fingers and wrapped them gently with a bandage. I flinched anyway.

“What do you mean by intruder?” I asked. My head felt heavy, my thoughts sliding out of place. Gael didn’t look scared. Not of Matvei. Not at all.

If he wasn’t afraid… Did that mean Matvei did this often? Did he kill people like it was nothing?

“You should sleep now,” Gael said, lifting me carefully. “You’re dizzy.”

“I—” My protest came out weak.

“I’ll tell you everything when you wake up,” he added quietly. “I promise.”

He smiled at me, soft and reassuring, and guided me out of the kitchen. We passed the room where Matvei had shot me, but there was nothing there anymore. No blood. No broken telephone. Nothing. It looked so clean that I wondered if I had imagined it all.

Gael lay me down on the bed and pulled the blanket over me. My body felt heavy, but my fear stayed sharp.

I knew I was dizzy, but I couldn’t close my eyes. What if Matvei came in?

What if he pressed a gun to my head?

I stared at the door, my heart pounding, wondering how many women had lain in this bed before me—terrified, and never woken up.

I opened my eyes slowly and froze.

A tall, dark figure stood over me, blocking the light. He was huge—at least six feet, and he started laughing, loud and cruel, like I was some kind of joke. My body went cold.

I looked closer.

Matvei.

I screamed, my throat burning as I begged him to forgive me. “I—I’m so sorry,” I cried. “Please. I won’t run away again. I’ll do anything you want. Anything.”

“Too late, Araceli,” he said, stepping closer.

My eyes dropped to his hand.

A gun.

Heat crawled down my spine as my sobs broke apart. He lifted the gun slowly and pressed it against my temple.

“Bye-bye, Araceli.”

BANG!

I screamed and jolted upright, clutching my chest, gasping for air like I had been drowning. My heart was racing so fast it hurt.

“Are you okay?!” Gael burst through the door, his face tight with worry.

He was alive.

The shock of seeing him made fresh tears spill down my face. I had been so sure Matvei had killed him.

“I—I had a bad dream,” I whispered, shaking. “Matvei killed me in it. And he might kill you, too. Please, take me home. I don’t want to be here anymore.”

“Araceli,” Gael said gently, stepping closer. He cupped my face, forcing me to look at him. “He won’t kill you. Or me. You’re his wife.”

He paused. “And if he really wanted to kill you, he wouldn’t have missed.”

My body trembled as I shook my head. I didn’t understand how he could say that so calmly.

“Is it normal for him to kill people?” I asked quietly. “He shot the gardener. He murdered him. He almost killed me. What if he kills me later? Please, I don’t want to stay here.”

Gael sat beside me and took my hands. “Matvei is involved in dangerous business. He only kills bad people. The gardener was an intruder—that’s why Matvei panicked and shot him in front of you. I’m really sorry you had to see that.”

He added softly, “And he didn’t mean to shoot you. He just… loses control when he’s angry.”

“He shoots people and destroys their lives when he’s angry?” I asked, my eyes widening.

“No,” Gael said calmly. “He just gets out of control.”

“That’s not right,” I said, my voice trembling but firm. “He can’t just kill people because he thinks they’re bad. He’s not allowed to do that. He’s not God.”

Gael looked at me for a long moment, then sighed.

“You really are innocent and naïve, Araceli,” he said quietly. “That’s not how the world works. There are many bad people out there, and Matvei isn’t one of them.”

He tilted his head slightly, a faint smirk touching his lips.

“Why are you speaking with so much anger?” he added. “Matvei told me you were very submissive.”

“Submissive?” I blurted out. “I don’t even know him. He’s my husband, yes, but how would he know something like that about me?”

“Matvei knows everything, Araceli,” Gael replied calmly.

The words made my chest tighten.

Maybe my stepmother told him. The thought alone sent a chill through me. If I ever tried to run away… would he go after my family? I forced the thought away. The anger and hatred I felt toward him scared me. I had never felt anything like it before, not even toward my stepmother.

“I’ve never been angry before,” I said quietly. “I’ve never spoken to anyone with anger. But when it comes to him…” My voice trembled. “I feel so angry, I can’t control it. I start saying things I shouldn’t, and my heart holds too much resentment toward him.”

“Aye,” Gael said lightly, shrugging. “That’s a lot for a husband you just met. You’re supposed to be all lovey-dovey.”

I frowned, confused, and he burst out laughing.

“You really do look like a doll,” he said, tilting his head. “Those big brown eyes.” Then his smile sharpened just a little. “But Araceli—avoid making him angry.”

My face fell.

Gael noticed and softened his tone immediately. “Hey. I’m here for you,” he said. “We’re friends, right?”

I had never had a friend before. Not really. And Gael had been kind to me from the bachelorette party, when Matvei barely looked at me, like I was less than his wife. Gael was fun. He smiled at me. He didn’t scare me and killed people the way Matvei did.

“I guess… yeah,” I said, smiling widely, almost forgetting everything that had happened today.

I wondered where Matvei had gone. He hadn’t even come to check on me, like he hadn’t almost killed me. Maybe I just wasn’t worth it.

“Come on,” Gael said cheerfully, pulling me from my thoughts as he helped me stand. “Let’s go downstairs. Ice cream, movies sound good, right?”

Before I could answer, a deep, commanding voice filled the room.

“Get your hands off her.”

My breath caught.

“She’s not leaving this room.”