COLD TRAP

MIRABELLA 

Such a dutiful wife 1 am. It’s laughable how I just said yes to that very difficult demand when my gut and my mind were screaming at me to say no. 

I wanted to refuse him, yet, I couldn’t. Because he was so close to me, so much so the warmth of his body invaded my senses and took control of my mind. 

I let him go out there. I let him go on a hunt for a deadly criminal whose only life’s purpose is to end his life. Our lives. I let him put his life at risk knowing how impulsive he gets when things don’t go his way. 

1 nodded my head to his request and now, I am drowning in paranoia 

“Mama,” my daughter’s voice slices through my ears, startling me back into reality. I smile at her, ruffling her hair. “Are you okay?” She asks further. her lips forming a pout. 

“I’m alright, baby. Did you need something” 

She grumbles. “We were playing a game and you just stopped” 

A sigh resounds. It’s my son, Mariano, And he looks so laid back, almost bored and uninterested. “Stop bothering her, Mariana, she’s a busy 

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“How’s this my fault?” Mariana complains further, shooting his brother a glare. 

I groan, “top arguing, both of you, it’s starting to get on my y nerves. I’m just thinking about work, okay? Now, let’s refocus on what we were doing. 

“Are you worried about your husband?” Mariano asks. 

“You mean your father?” 

He rolls his eyes as though dismissing me. My brows shoot up, my lips almost stretching into a smile. 

How did I end up having such unusual kids? 

Just as my lips fall apart to speak, the door is pushed open, Ares striding in, his lips stretched into a grin. 

Mariana and Mariano squeals excitedly, both of them running into his arms. 

“Did you buy chocolates, uncle?” Mariana asks, her eyes widened in anticipation. Ares nods, ruffling her hair. “Of course I did, little one. But you won’t get any if you don’t drag your brother out of here and give your mother and I some privacy.” 

ཌ་ཀཟ ཟ ཟ ན བད ང་ ན བ ཆ བ རེ་འཟོ་ཆེ 

Trust Mariana to go to any lengths for a bar of chocolate. Ares and I fall into a fit of laughter as we watch the dramatic scene of Mariana dragging her reluctant brother out of the room unfold. 

rem 

And when they’ve exited the room completely, the laughter dies down, replaced with grim expressions on both our faces. 

“They left earlier today. Mexico.” I whisper, stepping close to Ares, 

He hums a response. “What do you | suggest” 

“Get our people ready for whatever is to come, for I cannot trust Matteo with this, considering the unstable state of his mind.” 

Ares raises his brow in questioning, “you still don’t trust him.” He states, his voice assertive. 

A scoff breezes through my mouth. “I do trust him, but it is the state of his mind that I do not completely trust. Get to Mexico before him and make this easy for him.” 

He offers me a single nod of his head. “Yes ma’am. But before I leave, there’s someone here who’d like an audience with you.” 

“Who?” 

“You’ll see.” 

Just as he says the words, he pulls open the door. I wait. A second passes, then two, then three. I don’t know how long I stare into the empty doorway, but the moment when a familiar face appears, I almost stumble on my feet. 

It’s Helen 

Helen, the woman who was with Matteo on our wedding night. The one who had my husband’s cock down her throat while I watched. 

What is she doing here! 

Why does the look so.. inkempt! 

“Mrs. Denaro,” she says, her voice shaking. In her eyes, fear resides and it almost drives me to laughter. 

“Helen.” I “Been a while. To what do I owe this sudden visit?” 

She steps forward. “I have to speak to you.” 

“You’re already speaking. Helen, you might as well get straight to the point.” She opens her mouth to speak, but I put my index finger up, stopping her words in her mouth. “But if this has anything to do with my husband and whatever relationship you shared with him in the past, I’d rather you turn back around and leave my house.” 

Her brows form a crease, her face holding plea. “It’s about him but…” 

“Get out” 

She cries, “you have to hear me out!“ 

“Get Out” 

“Mirabella, please!” 

A chuckle rumbles in my throat. “I hate it when men put their hands on women, Helen, but if you push me to call one of my soldiers on you, the sight will not be funny. Get out of my house!” 

“There’s a a baby!” She yells. Time comes to a sudden stop, the room spinning in rapid circles. My throat is dried out, forcing me to continuously swallow on nothing my hands fisting the sides of my dress while my eyes move frantically around the room. “She’s four, and he knows.” 

“He knows, I whisper. 

Helen nods. “I told him years ago, but he couldn’t bring himself to accept it. He wanted me dead and I ran. I ran to keep my child safe from him. But now, there’s no more running. You have to help me, please.” 

I shake my head, “he never slept with you” 

“Mirabella, you saw us that night. 

I cut her off. “I saw nothing. You and my husband shared not even a glance, do you understand. Get out of my house before I have to forcefully 

remove you. 

Helen’s chin trembling, tears streaming down her face, she continues to nod incredulously. “I’m not lying.” 

“Get out!” I rage. 

“He said it get in the way of your marriage! He said that if you ever found out about this, his relationship with you will be ruined and that he’s ready to do anything possible to make sure you don’t leave him.” 

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When I fall into the realm of silence, Helen takes the initiative and slowly makes her way out of the room. And perhaps out of my home. 

She’s the devil sent to ruin my marriage. She’s telling lies about my husband. 

I don’t want to believe her story, but I know what I saw that night. I know what kind of relationship she shared with Manco… I know for certain that Helen might be actually speaking the truth. 

And if she truly is speaking the truth, then I don’t think there’s anything left to salvage in this marriage. 

We will be done for good.