(Karis's pov) I thought the madness ended that unfortunate night but I had no idea what was waiting for me online. The next morning the entire X was flooded with images of Skyler and me together. There was this particular one that seemed like we were kissing. Who had taken these pictures I wondered? It kept me on my toes the entire day. Xander was pissed, that was one thing for sure. I didn't even catch a glimpse of him when I got out of bed this morning which was great. It would only remind me of my shamelessness. As he had promised, I was indeed prohibited from leaving the estate without protection, he said, but it seemed more like he was caging me. My hands clenched to the side when I saw Xander's car drive into the estate. I was peeking through the window of my bedroom. Xander got out of the car, and his eyes were drawn to my direction as if he sensed my gaze. I was unsure if he saw me or if he was just glancing at the prison cell where he kept his wife. Xander averte
(Karis's pov) I stayed in my room the entire evening avoiding anything that would make me see Emma. It was better to avoid useless fights. I spent my time looking into some of my Father's businesses and particularly mum's investment. It didn't come as a surprise that most of my mother's shops were managed by Emma and Miranda. How was I able to look past this fact in my past life? There was a knocking sound on the door. "Good evening ma'am. May I come in?" It was Deborah. I allowed her to enter the room. Soon the brunette dressed in a maid outfit entered the room. Her hands were clammy, she was nervous for an unknown reason. "Are you alright?" I asked her purely out of concern. She quickly straightened up and then cleared her throat. "Sorry if my behaviour was off. I am here to invite you for dinner. Mr De Marco is expecting you since you have been indoors all day." So he missed his little wife he loves bullying. I scoffed. "Is Emma still around?" I asked strai
(Karis's POV) It felt like my world froze, and everything became bright immediately after I saw a single word, ' positive' on the pregnancy test results with tears welling up in my eyes. "This is not a dream." My voice broke as I spoke. "Congrats, ma'am, you are three weeks pregnant." The doctor congratulated me. I was unable to hold it anymore and immediately burst into tears. They were tears of joy; after five long years of being called barren, I was finally able to conceive. I was so excited by the news my ears turned deaf to anything other thing the doctor said. I just waited for him to dismiss me before rushing out of the hospital. Suddenly everything thing seemed brighter. I was so happy that my emotions were all over the place, laughing and crying at the same time. On my way home, I kept thinking about how to share the good news with my husband, with multiple ideas popping up in my head. Tomorrow is Xander birthday, so I decided to get an early birthday present for him a
(Karis's pov) My head was spinning and it took a while for me to realize what was happening. A second ago, I was in the middle of the road about to be crushed by a car, and the next second, I appeared in the dressing room on my wedding day. I would have thought it was a dream or a joke but I could feel Bertha hold on my wrist. Was I being reborn to have a second chance in life? I stopped moving as I came to the realization. Bertha turned back at me, surprised why I stopped; her eyes went wide, stunned because my eyes were blurry with unshed tears. I felt like crying, remembering everything that happened in my past, which might repeat itself in the future. "Karis, Are you crying? Please don't cry today should be your happiest. I can't believe you are finally married to Xander, your long-time crush." Bertha said in a calm voice caressing my hand. "I can't help it." I sniffed, hugging Bertha; it had been ages since I saw her because Bertha died in the past. She wa
(Karis's pov) My heart skipped a beat, feeling Xander's hands around my waist in a protective way. Even the way his voice sounded in my ears made me shiver. I was stunned that Xander stepped in between me and Skyler because he had never done something like this in our past life. He was never protective of me, and I knew secretly it was because he resented me because of our arranged marriage. Xander was forced to marry me because of a promise his mother made to my dead mother. It was funny to realize I came between him and his true love Emma. ' What was he trying to do here? ' After all, he should not give a fuck about me or who I speak to. He should run ahead to his crying lover and not me. If this was the former me, butterflies would have been in my stomach, yearning for the touch of the man I loved and chased for years, but his touch didn't feel the same anymore. "What if I can't do that Mr De Marco? You have a beautiful wife here, and it is tempting and hard to
(Xander's POV) Karis was left speechless, her mouth parted and closed as if searching for the words to reply to me. I could not point my fingers at exactly what it was, but after when she stormed out of the hall because of Emma's provocation, it seemed like she was a different person. Her eyes, which were always filled with admiration, were dull. I was still finding it hard to believe she had run away from me. What the hell was going through her mind? She used to be a naive open book I could easily read, but now I had no idea what she was thinking. The lady underneath me was different from the little girl I grew up with, who kept pestering me everywhere. The shock in her eyes disappeared and was replaced with a mischievous look. "Who said I belong to you, Xander?" She snickered at me. I didn't like the tone in which she spoke, how dare she suddenly behave like she didn't love me after we were married due to her obsession. "Repeat what you just said Karis and I
(Karis's pov) I loved to see the shocked expression on Xander's face; he probably could not believe that I lost interest in him. "You are in love with someone else." Xander chuckled, unable to believe the words that were coming out of my mouth. His shock was understandable because which bride in her right mind would tell her husband on their wedding night that she doesn't love him but it had nothing to do with me "Yes, I made a mistake in the past and I..." He didn't let me finish my statement as my lips were sealed by Xander's lips again. It seemed like he wanted to dominate me with his sexual appeal, and I wouldn't lie 'cause he was dangerous. Every time his lips captured mine, and his sinful tongue started exploring my mouth. It makes me feel like giving in to him. Xander was going to be the death of me. Despite how I kept on telling myself I should avoid him a part of me that always craved his love and affection wanted to give in. Why was he doing this to
(Karis's pov) "Come in." I managed to say. My voice was a bit raspy from crying all night. Luckily, the maid could hear me. The door creaked open, and a brunette a few years younger than me opened the door. The maid was shocked when she laid her eyes on me with them popping out. "You slept with your wedding dress on!" She gasped with her hands rushing to cover her mouth. She quickly realized her tone was a bit rude and immediately apologized. "I am sorry for the way I spoke. Good morning, Madam De Marco. I am Deborah, and I will be serving you this morning however you want ." Deborah introduced herself slightly bowing. "Did Xander send you to check on me?" I asked Deborah whose eyes subconsciously averted. I scoffed at her reaction. He must have sent her to check if I did anything crazy after last night. "Mr De Marco instructed us to take very good care of Mrs De Marco." She answered, avoiding my question. This was how Xander's staff were even in the past. Now I
(Karis's pov) I stayed in my room the entire evening avoiding anything that would make me see Emma. It was better to avoid useless fights. I spent my time looking into some of my Father's businesses and particularly mum's investment. It didn't come as a surprise that most of my mother's shops were managed by Emma and Miranda. How was I able to look past this fact in my past life? There was a knocking sound on the door. "Good evening ma'am. May I come in?" It was Deborah. I allowed her to enter the room. Soon the brunette dressed in a maid outfit entered the room. Her hands were clammy, she was nervous for an unknown reason. "Are you alright?" I asked her purely out of concern. She quickly straightened up and then cleared her throat. "Sorry if my behaviour was off. I am here to invite you for dinner. Mr De Marco is expecting you since you have been indoors all day." So he missed his little wife he loves bullying. I scoffed. "Is Emma still around?" I asked strai
(Karis's pov) I thought the madness ended that unfortunate night but I had no idea what was waiting for me online. The next morning the entire X was flooded with images of Skyler and me together. There was this particular one that seemed like we were kissing. Who had taken these pictures I wondered? It kept me on my toes the entire day. Xander was pissed, that was one thing for sure. I didn't even catch a glimpse of him when I got out of bed this morning which was great. It would only remind me of my shamelessness. As he had promised, I was indeed prohibited from leaving the estate without protection, he said, but it seemed more like he was caging me. My hands clenched to the side when I saw Xander's car drive into the estate. I was peeking through the window of my bedroom. Xander got out of the car, and his eyes were drawn to my direction as if he sensed my gaze. I was unsure if he saw me or if he was just glancing at the prison cell where he kept his wife. Xander averte
**** Trigger notice dark scenes ahead**** (Karis's pov) The mansion was dark because it was probably very late in the night; flashes of lights showed around whenever lightning struck the sky. It was very eerie, and I was being trapped by a devil, but yet I felt excited about a very strange reason. Yes, I had lost my nuts at that point. My plans during this second chance were to push Xander to the edge, but seeing how he reacted concerning Skyler, struck terror in me. "This is absurd. You can't force me to stay with you, Xander. Why are you so adamant about tormenting yourself with my presence when you can have Emma or even Benita?" My voice came out sharply at first but broke into a cry. My emotions were a mess as a mixture of terror and excitement ran through my veins. "As much as I love hearing your voice, dear wifey, I love it better when you don't talk. You just love pushing my buttons. Don't you?" He said, wiping my tears away with his thumb; he then reached out to kiss
*** Trigger notice, dark scenes ahead****(Karis's pov) I was shaken to the core; in front of his large frame in the middle of nowhere, I felt so vulnerable. I hated this feeling more than anything in the world, but in front of him, I felt powerless. I was not weak by any means, but I was never given the chance to grow. My second chance was for me to grow and get back at them, but his very existence was my curse that made all my efforts seem useless. Xander was just too powerful, and the worst thing was that my body was drawn to him. I should hate him, but there was a part of me that couldn't hate him. Xander's hand was still on my mouth, stopping me from talking further. He crooked his face on my hair. My hands pressed against his chest to push him away, but he was an immovable wall. The sky rumbled, followed by the bright lighting flash that made Xander look more intimidating. I was trying my best not to fall on my knee. " Why do you keep on lying to yours
****Trigger warning, you can skip this chapter. The scenes might seem dark to some readers****(Karis's pov) Xander became creative with his punishments, but I had no idea why I was being punished. The pit pattern sound of raindrops on the soil echoed throughout the woods. It was dark, and I was lost in the woods. This was an acre of land that had been passed down for generations. I was always scared of this area, so I had never ventured into the woods. Chills and shivers crept up my skin; my entire body was soaked with my clothes clinging to my body. I could not run any deeper into the woods because I had no idea what might be hiding in the eerie place. My heart was beating fast, thudding in my chest with my breath haggard. A twig snapped close to me, and my eyes shot out. He was close. I pressed my body close to the tree trunk hoping he would walk by because running would expose my location. Xander's movements were nibbled and cautious. He was like a
(Karis's pov) The entire ride back home I had this feeling something was off. My mind was plagued by a lot of thought at the moment, making it hard to figure out what the problem was. I packed my car in front of the house and gave the keys to Sam to pack it properly. Immediately, I alighted from the car; a piercing gaze was locked on me, which gave me goosebumps. My eyes glanced up in a particular direction and it caught the sight of a tall figure blended in the darkness dressed in all black. I recognized it to be Xander immediately; he was standing on the balcony that led to our room smoking. The lit cigarette was between his lips while his hand held a glass containing alcohol.' was he waiting for me?' I swallowed hard because fear twisted my stomach for a strange reason it seemed Xander was mad at me. This was the second time, I had seen Xander smoke, he was not a chain smoker and I had a gut feeling he only smokes when he is pissed off. His eyes briefly lo
(Xander's pov) This week has been hectic, all thanks to an annoying fly who I have been trying my best not to snap his neck. Skyler has been trying to poach my partners and future deals. I didn't take him seriously at first because most of those deals didn't affect me much, and I didn't feel the need to fight after a couple of irrelevant people that don't understand the meaning of loyalty. Whenever he poaches one, there is always a replacement ready, but his games have started to get more annoying. I was also occupied with figuring out how the hell my father got poisoned amidst all this chaos. It was hard to pin the blame on anyone because the De Marco name has its fair share of enemies. The board room was in chaos. Most of the shareholders and top managers were quite disturbed about the threat of the Crest conglomerate, but I wasn't bothered. No matter how they fuzz about it, I controlled over 80 per cent of the shares, holding the absolute deciding power, so in the end, e
(Karis's pov) Up till now, I had no idea why Father had called me. He took his seat at the head of the table while Miranda sat by his side dutifully like a good wife. "How have you been dear? You seem to be glowing after you got married." Christian started to butter me up. He had a creepy smile on his face that made me feel something was off. "I have been doing great; the atmosphere at the De Marco estate is better than being surrounded by you pretentious bitches." I sneered, not sugarcoating my words. Father started to cough, understanding what I was implying. "That is no way to talk about mother and sister." Miranda butts in, her face marred with fury. "Mother, I had no idea my dead mother Hazel had another child. Why don't I have any idea of this father?" I acted oblivious to what she meant. Miranda's face flushed further. It was enjoyable to see her mad. Dad looked at me with his mouth agape, stunned by my behaviour; I was never the type to talk smack about peo
(Karis's pov) I was confused by Skyler's words, but one thing I have learnt about men from my husband is that you shouldn't stretch your brains to understand them. My mood was instantly lifted by that thought as a bright smile hung on my lips. Today was a great day. Sapphire praised my designs, and Bertha's operation was a success. The only thing left was for my divorce to be completed. I grabbed my drink, bringing it to my lips to enjoy the flavour that wrapped around my tongue. I planned on going back to the hospital later, and then I needed to talk to Xander concerning our divorce proceeding. Time was running fast, and two months were over halfway through. I couldn't wait for my freedom. My smile fell when I heard an annoying laughter from my side. I didn't need to turn to know who it was. "Dear sister, are you going to pretend you didn't see me earlier." A particularly cheesy voice spoke out. Great, my perfect day just got ruined. Ignoring Emma, I grabbed my