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71 - I Married Him
ARAH
She watched as he sat up and pulled out his notebook.
“I’ve spoken to Miss Jessie Greene’s friends. They mentioned she stopped by here a few weeks ago for a…” He flipped through his notes, scratching his temple. “Clover Wish tattoo. Is that correct, Mrs. Ayadi?”
“Yes,” she replied.
“And that’s the same tattoo Paul Hernandez had, correct?”
She nodded, hesitating. As if sensing the question forming in her mind, he added, “The coroner’s office showed me the photos right before his body was stolen.”
Her mouth fell open. Given the long delay for Plumber Paul’s supposed public funeral, she'd already suspected the rumor was true. But hearing it confirmed by a law enforcer made it all the more real. The image of that beastly hand in the video flickered in her mind, raising her suspicions once again. But her focus snapped back to Agent Durante as the rustling of papers grew loud from his direction.
“So did Elise McKinney,
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MAD END'S DECEPTION 72 - Hisses and Squelches
ARAHThe next morning, she wasted no time. After ensuring Gildeon was at school, she drove straight to La Calma. With each mile closer to the cabin, her heartbeat quickened, drumming louder in her chest. Agent Durante’s suspicions might just be grasping at straws, but a gnawing thought lingered: what if he truly knew more about her husband than she did?That thought terrified her. What if she uncovered something... worse? Could she face that?She had once abandoned her search for the truths and secrets surrounding her husband. But this time was different. It wasn’t just her marriage or their hidden past on the line—innocent lives were at stake. Her clients’ lives. She couldn’t turn a blind eye now.When she arrived, she circled the cabin, listening intently for any sound inside, making sure even Roselia wasn’t there. Her next move was swift and calculated. With steady hands, she picked the lock on the cabin door, finding it easier than breaking into Gildeon’s study.Inside, she search
MAD END'S DECEPTION 73 - I'm Not the Enemy
ARAHShe stepped back quickly. “Please… don’t come any closer,” she muttered, her breath quick and anxious.Gildeon paused mid-step, but his serious expression didn’t waver.This moment took her back to the day she’d woken up after the accident, her mind a blank slate. Gildeon had been the first face she saw. She’d been terrified of him—those reptilian eyes, that stern expression, that imposing posture that made her feel so small and powerless.It felt just like that now, as if she were back in that day, knowing nothing—not a single thing—about the man who claimed to be her husband.Her hand trembled in the air. “These people…” Her voice faltered, barely holding together. “Are you the one doing this to them?”She didn’t know why she still clung to the hope that he might be innocent. Or that if he tried to talk his way out of it—just like he usually did—some part of her might choose to believe him.But Gildeon said nothing, and her heart sank. There was no denial, not even a flicker of
MAD END'S DECEPTION 74 - Don't Test Me
GILDEONHe perched on the back of the chair, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the view outside. Branches swayed, and leaves rustled in the breeze. A few dead ones drifted down, landing on the stone table. The wind had toppled the fruit picker, leaving it sprawled on the ground—a small but telling echo of the stumble in his plans.Arah’s discovery of the supernatural wasn’t something Gildeon had anticipated happening so soon.Now, there was no avoiding it.He glanced at her, still asleep on the couch. Barky lay beneath her, casting cautious looks his way as if he were a threat. He and the dog had never been fond of each other, but when it came to protecting Arah, that was one thing they could agree on.The morning light softened Arah's face. Her disheveled blue hair spilled over the cushion, a few curls stubbornly clinging to her rosy cheeks. He wanted to brush them away but couldn’t risk startling her—not when she could wake up at any second.‘You must've been in shock,’ he thought, noticin
MAD END'S DECEPTION 75 - Trust Me, Arah
ARAHHer hand stayed wrapped around the knife’s handle, resting on the couch’s armrest. She wanted to believe that Gildeon wouldn’t hurt her—if he had intended to, he would’ve done it already instead of bringing her home unrestrained. But she wasn’t about to lower her guard, not while she was still trying to figure out what he had used to sedate her.Was it the same golden claw from the beastly hand in the video… or from her dream?Her mind was a mess. She needed more time to make sense of it all.“The truth,” Gildeon said, shifting forward and propping his arms on his thighs. “Magic and witches are real. You don’t have to believe it yet—just listen.”This time, she didn’t dismiss the idea right away. She had asked for the truth, so she would hear him out first and decide what to do with it later. Pulling Barky closer, she tangled her fingers in his soft brown fur, thankful for his presence. Having him here made her feel a little m
MAD END'S DECEPTION 76 - Make Her Believe
GILDEONHe tightened his grip around Barky’s neck, feeling the tension of muscle and tendon. The dog squirmed, a muffled whimper caught in its throat, and then—crack. Barky’s final breath escaped like air hissing from a punctured tire.It was over in an instant.The dog’s body went limp, the warmth fading from the fur under Gildeon’s hands. No pulse, no life. Just stillness.Gildeon expelled a heavy breath.Across the room, Arah stood frozen, her blue eyes wide and glassy with shock, fixed on Barky. The color had drained from her face, her hands hovering near her mouth. Gildeon waited for something—a scream, a cry, a word—but nothing came.Silence hung in the air, tension thick, the weight of what he’d done anchoring in his gut like a stone. He released the dog and stood slowly, stepping aside, a pang of unease seizing his chest. Barky had been innocent. Harmless. A lo
MAD END'S DECEPTION 77 - Confusion and Anger
ARAHAs soon as she heard the rumble of Gildeon’s car fading down the road, she rushed to her room, grabbing the tattoo kit from the cabinet. Every step back to the living room was frantic, her heart thudding in her chest as she scrambled to organize her tools. Her gaze kept darting toward Barky, lying still on the floor—as if by some cruel trick of fate, he might vanish the second she looked away.Tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision and making her mind spin. She nearly knocked her machine off the table and huffed in frustration.“Pull yourself together, dammit!” she scolded herself, pressing her hands flat against the table to calm the tremors. She took a few deep breaths, in and out.Wiping her eyes roughly with the back of her hand, she then proceeded to clean a patch of skin on her right thigh. There was no need for a stencil—every detail of her design was engraved in her mind, and she trusted in the skill of her hand.The buzzing of the tattoo machine filled the roo
MAD END'S DECEPTION 78 - Wasn't a Bluff
GILDEONHe couldn’t figure out why Arah had been so restless until he heard the siren in the distance. Faint at first, then growing louder, closer, slicing through the stillness of the morning. His narrowed eyes drifted to the dirt road. It wasn’t long before the cars came into view. The first one he recognized immediately—Durante’s.The police car following behind made his gut clench, a low hum of tension settling in his chest.Why were they here?He pushed to his feet, his body on high alert. Could this be about the captives? He and Roselia had already released them yesterday, altered their memories, and scrubbed the basement clean. Even if law enforcement had somehow questioned those four, they wouldn’t have found anything to tie their disappearance back to him.But with Durante leading the charge, he knew better than to get comfortable.“Gildeon…” Arah began, rising to her feet, but quickly pressed her lips together as if biting back the words. Her cheeks flushed, and her eyes dar
MAD END'S DECEPTION 79 - Too Much Alike
GILDEONBile rose in his throat. He hadn’t expected Arah to betray him so easily. Had she met with Durante yesterday? He remembered the agent leaving his card, so she must have called him after Gildeon left the house.His stomach clenched. Could he really blame her? After everything he’d put her through, she probably saw him as nothing less than a monster. The thought felt like sharp teeth tearing through his chest.He pushed the feelings aside and focused on the situation. Something didn’t add up. There was no way Durante could have secured an arrest warrant this fast based solely on Arah’s word. There had to be more at play.Durante continued, “But we’ll handle it from here.”“Can I come to the station too?” Arah asked.“We need to take your husband into custody and process him first, Mrs. Ayadi,” Durante replied, casting a sidelong glance at Gildeon. “I suggest you stay home for now.”As Durante turned away, Officer Castillo gently pressed Gildeon’s back, nudging him forward. Just
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