Page 129 of Guarded

Patient name: Genesis Fernandez

Patient Number: 10000060015953

History: Miss Fernandez is a sixteen-year-old girl who was subjected to emotional trauma at the tender age of fourteen. Her parents, Rosario and Ignacio, state that their biggest concern for their daughter is her fixation on her hallucinations.

I continue scanning the document covering her current symptoms of psychosis, mental distress, crying spells, anxiety, and suicidal ideation- the list goes on. Still, there’s one part that stands out significantly.

“The patient is often tortured by hallucinations of a man with a large scar running down the front of his face. Patient claims this hallucinated figure has been stalking her since she was achild. No evidence can be found about this person existing.” I read aloud.

“Bingo!” Benji exclaims.

I set the paper down and let out a long sigh.

Fucking Cass.

“How does the Biondini family fit into all of this?” Benji’s eyes narrow on me, a questioning look sprawled over his face.

“Whada ya mean? Lucio Biondini was the one who kidnapped Genesis Fernandez! He kidnapped herandAriella Reyes!” He ridicules me like this kidnapping was common fucking knowledge.

He slaps down the news article about the kidnapping, and I scan over the information. Ariella told me about this but never gave any more details on the matter.

Connecting the dots was becoming more difficult the more players I realize are involved. Everything was coming full circle, though. What were Leatherface’s motives?

“Nero, I am working as hard as you to tie this all together,” Benji says, answering the confusion on my face. “The three brothers cut ties with their father after the kidnapping incident. Apparently, Lucio Biondini was abusive to their mother and resented them. There’s a missing link between the Biondini Family and Genesis Fernandez, something I’m still looking for.”

“We won’t know shit until Cassiel wakes up.” I theorize.

There’s an anxious feeling rising inside me. Worry over how Ariella would play into the larger equation of things. How would this information affect her safety? Why would Genesis write a letter to the son of their capturer?

More than ever, I need Cassiel to wake up. I need to know what kind of bullshit he had gotten us all into.

Chapter 28

Ariella

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me eight maids a milking.

I never understood the maid’s milking line. What exactly were they milking? One would assume cows, but there are plenty of other animals that can be milked.

“Ari,” Nero says, drawing my attention back to him. He was getting quick at catching me before my brain drove me onto another dimension.

“We’re almost there,” he nods to the window.

Today is the day of my staged engagement. The day I will announce to the world that I am no longer on the market. I haven’t seen or heard from Preston since I saw him behind the dumpster bin in the alley of Verdis.

The lie I told him about falling ill seems to have sufficed. I feel less guilty about how often Nero and I are having sex when I can only imagine how often my husband-to-be was engaging in his own extracurricular activities.

Activities that I’m sure would continue through our marriage until one day I’d get lucky enough that one of the women would out him to the world while a dozen more followed in her place.Then I’d be free of my family duties, and then, well, I’m not sure what would happen then.

There’s a part of me that fantasizes about reuniting with Nero. I imagine our lives as a cinematic movie where I search the end of the earth because he’s my one true love.Delusional much?

I return to the song in my head. Eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five golden rings.Eww. Rings. I need a different song if I’m going to distract myself from all things Preston Cuevas and love.

One true love is shit from fairy tales. My vagina throbbing over a man who makes me cum multiple times should not be confused with love. It’s just that thing he said, you know?

“I can go with you after you’re married, get a job with the security team at the Cuevas mansion.”

That’s the part that has my feelings all over the place. It’s an annoying game of push and pull.