chapter 3

LIA

I am disoriented so I glance around wildly, before realizing the noise is from the vodka bottle and cake slipping from my numb fingers.

My tears filed eyes gazes down at the wreck at my face. —Shattered glass, smeared cake, and spilled wine—. They mirror the devastated state I am.

Pen and Carl appears in front of me. They stare at me with surprised looks. Pen's expression shifts, morphing into a cunning smirk as if she was glad I eavesdropped them.

“Why are you here?” Karl says, annoyance lacing his voice, though I can tell he was trying to hide them. “Shouldn’t you be on your business trip?” He leans forward, hand reaching out to my face.

A cold rage simmers in me. I glare at him icily, making his hand drop to the side of his pajamas clad body.

That is when I realize that Pen and my husband are wearing a matching pajamas. The one I supposedly bought for me and Karl.

The food I ate earlier on the cab threatens to make appearance in my mouth.

Karl shrug and curl an arm around Pen, drawing her close. My throat feels raw, as if I swallowed a fistful of ashes. All I can do is trembles like a leaf.

"So you heard everything, then," he says, his voice devoid of remorse. "Such a shame. I was going to make it grand, you know." The mockery in his voice is glaring.

Pen snickers beside him and I shoot her a glare which she returns back with one of hers.

My gaze shifts back to Karl with a trembling lips. "

“How could you do this to me?" My voice sounds raw. "I gave you everything Karl. My love, my soul, my life. I gave you everything!” I shout so loud that my voice cracks. “All these years I was just a game to you. I was merely a pawn to you. This is how you repay me for everything.” my voice cracks and a sob breaks out of my lips. A tsunami of emotion threatens to drown me. “How could you?” I say with barely a whisper.

“The game is the game, Lia.” Karl yells and I flinch, my legs backpedaling. “You are just naive to think I will love someone like you.”

The Karl I know, the one who never raised his voice, is gone. This stranger before me is monstrous and eyes burns with hatred toward me, the eyes that once looked me with love. Or perhaps, is this Karl true self? And I am just to blinded by love to see it.

“And what? Using you?” He laughs but his voice holds no humor. "I did you a favor, marrying your ugly ass. Boring, ugly, poor...useless at everything." Each word is heavy with venomous spite. "Let's be honest, you were lucky to have someone like me 'love' you. Face it, you don't deserve me. You never could."

He stalks back into the room, leaving me rooted to a spot. I struggle for my breath as his words echo in my head, carving itself into my heart and leaving welts on my soul.

Moments later, a paper flutters to my face. “That is the divorce papers. Get out of my life and don't you dare come back. If you do, It won’t be as pleasant as this. Get in touch with my lawyer to finalize the divorce. I want nothing to do with you."

Pen lands on Karl's chest. “Don’t be too harsh on her, darling. We don’t want her to die on us.” She mocks.

My body trembles violently, rattling my teeth. My mouth unable to form any word. Anguish constricts my chest, twisting together with each passing second.

Suddenly, I find it difficult for me to breath and choked gasps escapes my mouth in a futile attempt to draw in air.

My head spins dizziness engulfing me as the ground rushes to meet me. The force stealing the last breath of air.

Darkness creeps in. Gradually, it swallows the edge of my vision.

Good, maybe, this is just a nightmare. When I wake Karl will be there with his familiar warmth and love which is a shield against the storm. My life will be back to normal again. I will have the love of my life beside me and I will be happy.