I had to put up this chapter to clear up something that is meant to be revealed later in the book it is a spoiler before I loose all my readers. Emma is not pregnant with Xander's child she isn't even pregnant but everything is to trap Xander. Xander never had anything to do with Emma.
(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 tried my best to behave like I was not affected by his words, but my burning ears gave me out. "That sounds like a tempting offer but I think it is presented to the wrong woman." A soft smile graced my lips. I was bringing up Emma again but not directly because no matter how trained and confidential the servants were, it would be unpleasant to have rumours going around about my husband having a lover that was none other than my very own sister. "We will see about that," Xander replied in a flat tone, still not affected by my words. He was different this morning from how he was last night. This was the Xander I knew who cared less about me and exactly what I wanted. "Don't get your hopes high after all, remember what I said as my reason last night." Xander's expression finally cracked a bit. I was talking about the lie I said about being in love with another, it seems that was his bottom line. Xander was a very possessive person from what I remember
(Karis's pov) . I froze when Xander's lips captured mine for a tender kiss different from the domineering ones we shared last night. He was deliberately toying with my feelings and it annoyed me a bit. He gently bit my lips causing me to moan into his mouth as my lips parted and his tongue slipped into my mouth like a thief ready to explore a treasure chest. Xander deepened the kiss and every urge I had to push him away was thrown out of the window. His hand that was holding my chin let go of my face and went down to my lap. It made its way under my a-cut skirt, and immediately at that moment, I regretted why I decided to wear a skirt and made a mental note to wear more trousers. While his lips were glued to my lips, his hand were tracing gently around the curves of my lap. The rascal planned on using every means to make me submit. Suddenly, the image of how he was having wild sex with Emma on our matrimonial bed, banging her like no tomorrow from behind, popped into my head, and
(Karis's pov) My mind was spaced as I glanced out the window; the car was driving the streets of Frankfurt, which was known as the financial hub of Germany. It was 8:45 am so traffic was a bit hectic since it was rush hour. Skyler also has some business here, and not so shockingly, Xander, but the chances of us running into each other were very low since this was a sizable city and the second most populous metropolitan German city. There were a lot of things going through my head. The fashion line I did with Skyler and Blue Secret was a hit, and the question was what next. I didn't want to rely on Skyler forever, and the money I transferred out of Xander's account would not sustain me forever. A baby was coming and I had to make sure she was well provided for. "We are here." I heard the driver say. My eyes were drawn from the window to Skyler who was busy on his phone. Recently, he has been super busy with business, which has been growing rapidly. He and
(Karis's pov) These past few months have been a breeze so fleeting that I couldn't believe that I would be meeting her soon. Rubbing my swollen belly a soft smile was etched on my face. My tummy was so big that Skyler and I thought they were twins or triplets but it was just a fat baby girl. I have been eating so much that my baby was already very chubby even in my stomach. I could not wait to hold her in my arms and kiss her cheeks. I wondered if she would look like me or a feminine version of the devil. It was early spring, the snow had melted, and green plants were showing up. I will be having my baby in March. My pregnancy has been a bit challenging but he was by my side all the way. At times, when I think of how supportive Skyler has been, I don't have any idea how to repay him. He was always travelling to and fro to be able to keep up with his business and assist me throughout my pregnancy. Skyler never missed a check-up where the father was meant to be.
(Xander's Pov) Life felt meaningless; Skyler was right; I killed her. After that day, I confronted him, I had investigated what happened the eve of Karis birthday between Emma and I. There were video footages from the hotel showing everything that happened in the hallway. Due to privacy issues there were no cameras in the room but from what I saw from the hallway my life was over. I had willingly followed Emma to the room, but I couldn't understand why I did something so stupid. I had ruined my marriage with my hands and my jealousy was to be blamed. If I hadn't been enraged by jealousy and stayed in the house waiting for Karis to return none of this would have happened. Karis had been at the hotel that morning with Bertha and most likely saw me in with Emma. That was what made her lose it completely. It turned out a friend of Bertha saw Emma and I leaving the club and secretly trailed behind us, that was why everything got revealed. But none of that matter
(Karis's pov)Loud alarm sounds started to ring in my ears. My whole body was in pain, and I kept hearing incoherent voices like they were panicking. "The patient's condition is not stable, her heartbeat is dropping.." someone seemed to have screamed. Is this another dream? They were speaking a strange language which I recognized but was still finding it a bit difficult to translate because my head was killing me My eyes fluttered open, and I could see faces; they had face masks on, and I was being pushed somewhere. My eyes were still blurry, but this sharp pain in my head made it hard to keep it open. A lady who was wearing a different colour of scrubs grabbed my hands, she spoke English to me because she wanted to communicate with me. She probably realized I was awake. "Relax, ma'am, you are going to be fine." She assured me. I wanted to stay awake, but it was hard to stay awake; I wanted to relax like my body was tired. The dream, yes, it was Mother. Maybe if I di
(Karis's pov) Summer, I always loved it not because of the warmth or its beauty but because of my birthday. "Karis, what are you waiting for? Your mother is waiting for you in the garden." I heard someone say and my eyes fluttered open. I was hiding behind the stairs, but what was I doing here? My eyes looked up to see a middle-aged woman dressed in former attire. I immediately recognized her “ Madam Deborah." I altered. "Yes, dear, we can't keep your mum waiting longer." Deborah stretched out her hand for me which I accepted. Deborah was my governess who retired after mum's death what was she doing here? No, rather, what was I doing here? My eyes darted around the room and immediately went wide as I recognized where this was. It was the Reynolds mansion when Mum was still alive; my eyes could spot an old picture of her hanging on the wall. "Dear child, what were you doing there?" I didn't know what I was doing there. My brain could not remember but my lips see
(Xander's Pov) She was dead; no, that was not possible. I watched her sleep last night and she snuggled up to me in her sleep. I could still remember the sheepish smile I had on my face seeing her subconscious actions. The A 587 flight had crashed a few hours after take-off near the coast of Europe. The authorities were still finding the crash site, but it was bleak. The chances of surviving a plane crash were very low, and my mind could not stop wondering what had happened that made Karis so desperate to leave me that she might be dead... That entire day, I didn't get any sleep as I exhausted every resource I had to investigate the plane crash. If not for the fact mum stopped me from travelling, I would have gone myself. She was traumatized by the news of Karis probably dying and had a breakdown worse than mine. Hours ticked by and all I could do was grip her wedding rings as I started to trace everything Karis did this past week.. Benji was already looking in
(Xander's Pov) Smile. That was what Father whispered into my ears when he shook my hand as camera lights flashed on us. I should be happy that the entire De Marco business empire was under my absolute control, but yet there was this hollow feeling in my heart I could not ignore. She left; I don't know why, but after my eyes caught sight of Karis sneaking off when her guards were distracted, it felt like a piece of my heart was taken away. I wanted to go after her or at least warn the guards she was gone, but the annoying paparazzi kept asking annoying questions about Karis's infidelity. Luckily, Ethan sensed my distress, and I was able to send a message to him, but since then, there has been no news from him. Dad and I were still standing in front of the crowd as the camera continued flashing lights at us. I tried my best to smile like my father said I should but my face just couldn't smile. My entire life, my mum taught me how to smile in front of the came
(Karis's pov) The clouds suddenly darkened, and a storm started, just like what happened in my past life; this flight had mistakenly gotten on a different route and ran into a storm that struck it from the skies. It made major headlines and I was crying the entire day in my room because Xander had travelled to Germany that day. I was scared that his jet had gotten involved in the same storm, but luckily, he didn't leave that day again. From outside the window, I could see thick clouds with lightning flashing in them. An ominous feeling was already hanging over my shoulders. The pilot's voice in the intercom tried to assure the passengers that everything was fine, but it was hard to fool people when we could see with our eyes that we were in trouble. "Please try to stay in your seat. Everything will be alright." The air hostess tried to get everyone to relax and stay in their seats. The plane shook again, and my hands clutched the bag as terror struck me. A scream rang from
(Karis's pov) My hands on the large box were clammy with cold sweats around it. Xander's office was large and beautiful but I cared less about the intricacy of the interior decorations and focused on my mission. My eyes darted around the large space until I spotted a small sitting area like a lounge and walked towards it. I placed the box on the coffee table. A sharp inhale entered my lips as I uncovered the box to make sure the cake was still in place. A weak smile graced my lips, seeing that the letters were still there. The words read, "Happy divorce Dear Ex husband." There was a wine in it for Xander to celebrate with. I checked my bag to pull out the document he signed yesterday. They were the transfer documents for the vineyard, which I mixed the divorce documents with. Xander had no idea he willingly signed our divorce. Even if it was not yet two months, by the time the document would be processed completely, the time frame would be complete. Th