Record of Wrongs

Chapter 2.

Arielle

I sat at the dining room table waiting for Galindo to arrive. The dress he picked out for me was as gaudy as usual, and I felt out of place wearing such fine clothes to something as simple as dinner.

I used to love fine clothes and jewelry and I wasn't a stranger to nice things, but somehow he had found a way to turn that innocence into something else. Fashion was about choice and experimentation, but now I just felt like a doll in someone else's dream house.

He decides what I wear, and eat, and what activities I'm allowed to partake in. I can do nothing without his approval; I haven't even been able to indulge in my pregnancy cravings because the cook refuses to give me anything that hasn't been approved by Galindo. I can't say that I blame him, or any of the staff for that matter. Jose Galindo is a cruel man who controls people by threatening what they love, and everyone has someone or something to lose.

Even as a child, I'd heard about how ruthless and cold Jose Galindo was. He was notorious for murdering entire families with only children to hold as witnesses to his crimes. He didn't care and he showed little remorse while walking the streets as if he were god.

I want to hate him for living up to my every expectation of who I thought he was. But I cannot simply hate a snake for being a snake, for I have done that in the past and missed the scorpion that was in front of me the whole time. For it is not Galindo who betrayed me, but the man whom I carelessly gave everything to without caution.

"Diego, has Jose arrived yet?" I kept my head facing forward as I acknowledged the guard assigned to me. Diego was older, much older, an obvious decision made by Galindo.

Diego was assigned to me right after Mateo's death. At first, I assumed he was cold and unfeeling; just a grumpy, bitter old man assigned to a job he hated. But Diego and I have become sort of like friends, maybe even family. He teaches me self-defense in secret and watches over me like a daughter. He hates Galindo, perhaps more than I do, because Galindo burned down his home with his wife and daughter trapped inside.

Even now with the scowl on his face, Diego chastises me for trying to spark up a conversation. Not because we've never spoken before, but on account of not being caught by Galindo's right-hand man, Devante.

Diego says nothing to me and just breathes loudly through his nose. I wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, but there was nothing funny about living in constant fear of death.

"Diego, is he here yet?" I ask again, only this time I turned around to look him in the eyes. Diego wasn't phased by that and visibly rolled his eyes at me while remaining painfully silent. I huffed and turned back around in my chair like a child. I bit my lip, a habit that began after being thrown in here along with a long list of other coping mechanisms that would draw the concern of a therapist. 

Recently, I've noticed myself becoming nervous when Galindo does something out of the ordinary, like being late. He is a punctual man and when he isn't, I can't tell what kind of man is going to walk through those doors. 

I have considered the possibility that one of his enemies has finally succeeded in killing him. He talks about his demise so often that I wait in anticipation for the day that it'll actually happen. I can't say that I care if he lives or dies, but because of the blind loyalty of his men, I don't know what would happen to me if that were the case.

"Diego!" Just then another guard came in and barked Diego's name. He said nothing to me as he whispered something into Diego's ear. I tried to act like I wasn't paying attention, but I noticed the change in Diego's demeanor upon hearing the news.

Then the both of them ran frantically out of the dining room without so much as a look my way. I could hear people shouting behind the door. I naturally became curious and got up from the table to take a peek at what was going on.