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73 - I'm Not the Enemy
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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
MAD END'S DECEPTION 80 - He'd Underestimated Her
GILDEONHis eyes dropped to the folder, his mind racing through the possibilities of what it held. It had to be evidence—something Durante believed would nail him. The agent flipped the folder horizontally, keeping the cover facing Gildeon, the contents hidden from view. The rustle of paper filled the room. Then, with a calculated movement, Durante spread photos across the table—images of the four captives.Gildeon’s gaze remained steady. No flinch, no reaction, just silence. He knew Durante was watching, waiting for the slightest crack.“You know these people?” Durante asked, but Gildeon knew it wasn’t a question—it was bait.He let the silence linger, weighing his response. He had to avoid implicating himself—not out of fear of the law, but because he didn’t want to give Durante the satisfaction of pinning him down. If they were sitting in this room, it meant they needed more from Gi
MAD END'S DECEPTION 81 - She'd Gone Too Far
ARAHShe sat on the couch, restless, her eyes glued to the phone. Each image was a bitter reminder of how easily she’d destroyed Gildeon with a single tap. She hadn’t meant to, but in that blind whirlwind of rage and hurt, she’d sent the photos and video to Agent Durante without thinking.It had felt right in the moment, like she was taking control, making him pay. But now? Now it felt like a crushing mistake. She wanted to delete them, but what for? It wouldn’t change anything. The damage had already been done.With a frustrated sigh, she threw the phone onto the couch and stood, pacing the living room, her thoughts spinning as fast as her steps. Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking, rubbing absently at the sides of her robe as she tried to ground herself.Barky lay sprawled on the floor, his eyes lazily following her, tail tapping rhythmically against the hardwood. He seemed completely unaware of the turmoil inside her, oblivious to the tension that had her body trembling. At least he wa
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