Chapter 3
1262 Words
Chapter Three
Alessia’s POV
When I stepped out of the room, the station was unusually quiet. Too quiet. That wasn’t a good sign. Police stations were supposed to be loud—phones ringing, officers shouting, footsteps pounding against the floors. But right now, the air was thick with something heavier than silence. It was the kind of quiet that comes before a disaster. Before an explosion. Before the ground beneath you splits open and swallows you whole.
I felt it before I saw it.
The stares.
They weren’t just looking at me. They were burning holes into me, whispering my name like it was a curse. The officers I had worked with for years, the people who once trusted me to have their backs, now stood in a cluster, their faces pale, their eyes filled with something I couldn't quite place—disbelief? Betrayal? Hatred?
Then I heard the news anchor’s voice.
“Breaking news: In a shocking turn of events, the husband of a high-ranking police officer has been arrested and charged with drug trafficking and first-degree murder. Daniel Vasquez, husband of Officer Alessia Vasquez, was taken into custody earlier today and is currently being held for further questioning. Reports confirm his direct involvement in the recent high-profile drug bust connected to notorious crime lord Leo Ricci.”
Everything inside me froze.
No.
No, that wasn’t possible.
I forced my legs to move, stepping forward like a woman in a nightmare she couldn’t wake up from. My vision tunneled on the screen where they showed him.
Daniel.
I felt my stomach twist, bile rising in my throat. When did all of this happen? I left him this morning and he was…my husband. Looking decent.
My hands trembled as I turned to Captain Moreau, whose jaw was tight, his eyes dark with accusation. He was staring at me like I was the one in those cuffs.
"Did you know about this?" His voice was low, controlled, but filled with an underlying fury that made my blood run cold.
I blinked at him, barely able to form words. “W-What?”
Moreau's nostrils flared. "Did you know your own husband was working for Ricci? Did you sit here, pretending to be one of us, while the man you slept next to every night was running shipments for the same man we’ve been trying to take down for years?"
The weight of the question crushed me. My lungs refused to pull in air. The room spun.
I shook my head rapidly, feeling the burn of a hundred stares piercing into me. "No. I didn’t know. This is a mistake."
Detective Harris scoffed from behind me. "A mistake? Alessia, we have footage of him making the deals. We have wire transfers tying him to the last three shipments. His fingerprints were found on the weapons used in last week's hit. And you're telling me you had no idea? Seriously?"
I swallowed, my throat dry as sandpaper. "I—"
"You either knew, or you're the dumbest cop in this station," Matteo spat. "And I don’t think you’re dumb."
Moreau’s glare darkened. "The question is, are you a traitor?"
My heart stopped.
A traitor.
I could barely process what was happening. One second, I was chasing down Leo Ricci, determined to put him behind bars. Next, my husband was the one standing on the other side of the law.
"This isn’t a setup," My other co worker, Harris continued, his tone sharp and full of bitterness. "Daniel admitted to it, Alessia. He didn’t even try to deny it."
My knees almost buckled.
“No…” My voice came out small, barely audible.
"He's being transported here now," Moreau said. "If you're so sure it's a mistake, then why don't you ask him yourself?"
The doors burst open.
Two officers walked in, dragging Daniel.
He was Handcuffed, looking tired Tired but not defeated.
My breath caught in my throat. I pushed past the officers, my heart slamming against my ribs.
"Daniel!" My voice cracked. I reached for him, desperate, my fingers brushing his shirt. "What is happening baby? Tell me this isn’t true. Tell me you didn’t—"
He cut me off with a bitter laugh.
The kind that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
My hands dropped and my stomach twisted.
"You still don’t get it, do you?" His voice was laced with mockery.
I shook my head slowly. “What do you mean?”
He lifted his hands in the cuffs, shaking them slightly. “I did it, Alessia. I worked for Ricci. I ran shipments. I handled the dirty work, that's my business and now all thanks to you and your silly obsession, I'm here!”
The ground beneath me shattered.
"You worked for him?" I whispered, my voice shaking.
Daniel shrugged, like it was nothing. "For years." His lips curled into something that wasn’t quite a smile. "While you were out playing hero, I was making real money. Unlike you, I didn't waste my life chasing ghosts."
My chest caved in. "You were my husband."
Daniel chuckled. "And yet, I spent more time with Ricci than I did with you. Ever wonder why?"
The slap came out of nowhere. My palm connected with his cheek so hard that the crack echoed through the station.
Daniel's head snapped to the side, but he didn’t even flinch.
Tears blurred my vision, but I refused to cry. “You are a coward,” I hissed. “And I will make sure you rot for this.”
The officers started pulling him away, and he just laughed.
A sharp slap cut through the air.
Not mine this time. I barely had time to react before I felt the sting on my cheek.
My mother-in-law stood before me, her hand still raised, her eyes filled with disgust and I wondered when she arrived
"You stupid, barren woman!" she shrieked in tears "You dare humiliate my son like this? Fix this mess or you will no longer be a part of this family!"
I clenched my jaw. Family? What family? The one that just betrayed me? Lied to me? Humiliated me?
I straightened my back, tilting my chin up. "I would rather die than be a part of your disgusting family."
She gasped with rage, twisting her features. And then, a slow clap filled the silence making me turn—and there he was. Leo Ricci.
He was fresh out on bail and standing in the hallway like he owned the world and knowing him, the bastard probably did.
He was still in his dark, expensive suit, still smelling like Oud Royale and destruction. His watch alone probably cost more than my entire salary.
And that smirk.
"Well, well, well," he drawled, his voice a mix of amusement and something darker. "That was quite the performance. I give it an eight out of ten.”
I clenched my fists. "Get out of my way, Ricci."
He tilted his head, watching me like a cat watching a trapped mouse. "Oh, I don’t think I will." He took a step forward, lowering his voice. "You should be thanking me, you know. Now you don’t have to waste your time pretending to love a man who never deserved you."
I glared. “And what? You think I should be grateful?”
His smirk deepened. "No. I think you should be worried, because now that you've caught my interest..." He leaned in, his breath warm against my ear.
"I don’t let go."
Chills ran down my spine.
- Writer
