Chapter Ninety Six

Chapter Ninety Six
Lucille 
“I’d heard about the divorce,” she started. “How are you feeling?”

“As usual. Upset that Gabriel is an ass and doesn’t know who is good enough for him.” I replied caustically. “Why are you here? Have you come to gloat about my downfall?”

“Quite the opposite, actually,” she said. “I know we’ve not been very civil with each other during the past seven… almost eight years now… but I am hoping that what I have to tell you and show you would make up for that." 

"It wouldn’t mean that we’ve become friends or anything like that.” She waved her hand dismissively. “I just thought that my brother doesn’t know what he is getting himself into by associating with that woman.”

I exchanged puzzled glances with Samantha, who now seemed as curious as I was. Was this real? I wondered. Gabriella Cruz, of all people, agreeing with me? This was becoming very interesting.

“You don’t like her?” I asked to be sure.

“No.” She shook her head. “I think she's trouble with a capital T and an atomic bomb is very clearly attached to her, ready to destroy my brother’s life.”

My brows furrowed in confusion. “So… why aren’t you taking this matter up with him?”

“Because of that woman… my brother cut all ties with me.” Her voice cracked with emotion. “He refused to see this from my own point of view and he’s roped my parents into accepting her as his future wife… even after I told them she’d never bear him any children.”

“Wait… hold up.” I lifted a finger, my eyes widening like saucers. “She is… infertile? And Gabriel still wishes to marry her?”

“Love makes one blind,” Sam chimed in.

“Not stupid.” I snorted in derision. “I can’t believe this.”

Inside, though, my mind was racing. Infertile? And he still wanted her? After everything I’d sacrificed for him? Rage began to coil low in my gut like a snake. If he thought he’d finally escaped me, he’d just handed me a weapon I could use.

“Anyway... I don't know what you can do to break them up, but I am hoping you can do something.” She handed the envelope to Sam, who passed it to me. “That's all the information I have on her. Everything you need to know.”

I took the papers from the envelope and skimmed through them without enthusiasm until I reached the good part. I lifted my head and stared at Gabriella Cruz in shock. 

The woman had been familiar, but I hadn’t been able to place her face—until now. What a fucking goldmine this was, I thought, feeling my pulse quicken.

"She's Rafael Navarro's ex wife?" My mouth dropped open.

"Yes." Gabi nodded. "Why do you look so excited all of a sudden?" She arched a skeptical brow.

"Because! You've just made my fucking day!" I exclaimed. "I bet poor Rafael didn't know his wife was already cozying up to another man who's not him. We did watch on the news that one time where he yelled that he'd never let her be happy because she belonged to him."

"That's true." Sam gasped. "This is epic."

"So... What are you going to do about that?" Gabi still looked confused.

"Don't worry your pretty head about it." I sent her a saccharine smile. "Thank you so much for bringing this to me. I won't disappoint you."

"You won't tell my brother that I came to see you?"

"And ruin our plan to separate them? Never." I shook my head. "You have my word."

She said nothing else, nodded stiffly, and walked out of the sitting room. I headed to the door to make sure she was gone; when I heard the faint sound of a car engine driving away, I shut the door and returned to the sofa.

"Gabriel Cruz will be so pissed when he finds out that his own twin sister has betrayed him," Sam chuckled darkly.

"Yes, he will be, won't he?" I smirked, tasting the sweet, slow burn of vindication. Let him fume. Let him realize his neat little life was unspooling because of choices he made.

"Will you tell him?" She asked.

"I should." I mused. "But if I tell him... he'll find out about my plan and probably kill me before I can implement it."

"You're really going to keep quiet about this?" She sounded stunned.

"Yep. It is time to pay Gabriel back in his own coin. I want him to have a taste of his own medicine." I stared at nothing in particular, feeling the cold comfort of determination settle over me. "He is going to rue the day he was born."

"Damn. I wouldn't want to be in his shoes right now," Sam muttered.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, my friend," I told her. "He took my love for granted and now I am going to show him how it feels to have someone he loves taken away from him. And who better to do that than her own insane ex-husband?"

"You're a very evil woman," Sam laughed.

"Too bad, you're just finding out," I chuckled, the sound small and hard in my throat. Evil, maybe. But effective. And I would do whatever it took to make him pay.

Two weeks later
It had been stressful getting approval to be on the list of visitors for Rafael Navarro, but I did it and there I was, seated in the visiting room of the prison waiting for the criminal to be brought to me. 

I had told a very white lie that was believed and they had given me a form to fill, which I did right there on the spot, and a few days later I was added to the list of people who could see him.

I was half nervous and half excited because I was taking my revenge plan too far, but it wasn’t my fault that I was doing this. Gabriella Cruz was the one to blame here for giving the ammo to finish her brother off.

If I were able to get Rafael in on my plan and he succeeded in taking his ex-wife away from my husband—and I didn’t have a doubt that he wouldn’t leave any survivors—Gabriel Cruz’s death would be his sister’s fault.

Not mine.

My heart skipped a beat when the door buzzed open and I turned my head to see Rafael Navarro being led out by two officers. His hands were bound together by handcuffs and these were thicker than the normal handcuffs used by policemen.

He was brought to my table and I rose to my feet to greet him, and once he settled down behind the table, I did too. The officers left us alone and I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat as I tried to remember the speech I had rehearsed earlier in the car.

"You're not my friend." He said. "Why have you come here?"

"I have something of yours that might interest you." I said.

He looked me over with disinterest. "I doubt it." He turned his face away. There was a scar running from his temple down to his right eye and it looked hideous. If the knife or whatever else had been moved just a little bit closer to the white of his eyes... he might have lost an eye.

"Your ex wife is Arian Macavinta, right?" I questioned.

That piqued his interest and he turned his head to look at me. He searched my face for something and probably found it because he nodded, looking very interested in what I had to say now.

"You know where she is? My men can't find her." He said.

"Yeah. She's in Africa." I replied. "She has a fiance."

"What?" He growled.

"You heard me right. She snatched my husband and is now planning to get married to him." Technically, it was half true but he didn't have to know that. "You don't want that, right?"

"Where in Africa? And what's the name of the bastard that doesn't value his life all that much?" He demanded harshly.

"Nigeria. And his name is Gabriel Cruz."

"That name is familiar." He frowned. "I've heard of Raine Cruz."

"Gabriel is his son." I answered.

"Is that so?" He drawled. "Well, dear Gabriel will rue the day he was born after I'm done with him. I'm going to make that little bitch watch while I cut him from limb to limb."

"How are you going to stop them from getting married?" I asked. "The date has been set already. It's happening in December, so you don't have enough time."

"Don't worry about it." He shook his head. "What's in it for you?"

"I want him dead." I stated. "If I can't have him, then she shouldn't have him either." I rose to my feet and he did too. "It is all up to you now." I spun around and walked away from him quickly.

I let out the breath I had been holding once I was in the safe confines of my car and willed my hands to stop shaking. I couldn't believe what I had just done, but I wasn't going to change my mind about this.

I just hoped Rafael would be able to get the job done and I really didn't care how he went about it, just as long as Gabriel Cruz ended up dead, alongside his stupid girlfriend.