27 (Karis's pov) The drive to the venue was awkward. I was not ready to strike up any conversation with Xander and preferred gazing through the window. I was thinking about what happened tonight in my past life. In that timeline, Xander didn't bother to ask me to go out with him. He said it was because I was not into social gatherings which was not far from the truth but if he had asked me then I would have jumped at the offer. Then I thought he was considerate of my feelings and how socially awkward I was. After my mother died years ago, my grandparents took me away to stay in their countryside estate where I lived until after college. By the time I was back, there was another daughter and wife in my father's house. Dad didn't pay much attention to me and was focused on the company. It was hard for me to integrate into the social circle and Emma has made sure to label me as a countryside bumpkin too. This made it difficult for me to enjoy social gatherings and made
(Karis's pov) The hall was beautifully decorated with everything in it screaming wealth and taste. Everyone here had to be important individuals worth hundreds of millions at least. That was the power of the ' De Marco ' name. Xander's mother held this event every year, as a fundraiser for charity. A lot of people here didn't care about the charity but one thing and that was to show off their wealth and attract the best investors. This was where you would find the creme de la creme of society. That's why Emma was completely stunned by the comment. The dress we were wearing only had one available piece in the market. It was designed by a retired international designer who made it as a gift to his daughter but the design was so marvelous that a princess from a foreign country demanded to have the same design. The designer was hesitant since it was meant to be special for his daughter but after being persuaded over and over by the princess he agreed and made another dre
(Xander's POV) I could not describe how pissed off I was at the sight of Skyler openly flirting with my wife. He always knew how to get on my nerves. My gaze was boring into him. If looks could kill, Skyler would drop dead now. Karis was sensitive enough to read the room. My heart had a sense of comfort when she willingly held my hand because my gaze went to Skyler who claimed to have a way to prove Karis was right. "Then where is this designer you speak of Mr Crest?" Miranda challenged Skyler not knowing she was digging her own grave. The Skyler I knew wouldn't make a headless proclamation, but why was he interested in helping Karis? Since this morning, my mind has been clouded with thoughts about Karis and how she changed. It was hard to point my fingers at what it was, but there was something about her that intrigued me. It was still very annoying when I heard her say over and over again that she didn't care about me and had a lover. Whenever those accursed word
(Karis's pov) I was surprised when Xander stepped in to defend me. It was beyond my imagination he would choose to back me up instead of Emma, but I guess his reputation was more important than his lover. Emma was beyond furious after I told her to beg on her knees. Her pride would never let her do such. "You don't mean that," Emma said trying her best not to sound agitated. "Didn't you say you want me to apologize after you tried to insult me? Get on your knees and I might consider." I gave her a blank look. Her jaw dropped seeing I was dead serious. She might have expected me to easily let her off the hook. This was what she got for trying so desperately to match outfits with my husband. In my past life, I remembered how upset I was when all the gossip blogs and papers carried the news of how magical Emma matched Xander and kept on saying Xander married the wrong sister. It was said they stole the spotlight when they danced together. Back then, I ignored all the go
(Karis's pov) Since it was Xander's money I was planning to use there was no need for me to hold back because he could afford it. "5 million." Emma had the nerve to raise the price. I saw Miranda's jaw at Emma's audacity. "8 million." I raised the bid. Why was everyone against me today? All I wanted was a piece of jewellery made by my late mother. "10 million." Skyler bid with a sly smile. Emma gritted her teeth, maybe her budget was almost close. "12 million." Emma bid and even I was surprised now. "15 million." I did not want to give up now. My eyes glanced at Xander's, whose attention was on his phone, unbothered by anything happening. "30 Million." Skyler declared. How did a jewelry with starting price of 80 thousand get to 30 million? At this point, I even gave up. "How annoying," I whined with a sad pout. My words seemed to have caught Xander's attention because he glanced at me. "30 million is there any other bid aside from the gentleman man in a
(Karis's pov) I was left puzzled by Xander's warning. "What are you thinking of? he is just jealous of Skyler." I said out loud. I was on my seat enjoying a glass of wine. My mood was a bit down and it made me lose interest in socializing. My eyes darted at the hall impressed at how wonderful the decorations were and how everyone was dashing. This was what a gathering of the elite looked like. It didn't seem like a bad idea to sit back and just enjoy the night. "Good evening Mrs De Marco. I hope I am not intruding." A middle-aged lady in her early forties approached me with a soft smile. I dropped my wine glass on the table and signified she should take a seat. It was funny how people preferred standing at parties like this. "Not at all." The lady got my clue and took a seat. "My name is Sapphire Holmes." She introduced herself. "Like Sherlock Holmes." I made a light joke which she laughed at. "Yes, I got that joke a lot while I was still in school during my
(Karis's pov) A faint smile that had a bitter feel got on my face seeing Skyler offering the first dance to me instead of Xander. No wonder in my past life there were rumours of how perfect Xander looked with Emma than me. Like why would you not think so when she was dancing with him and smiling very graciously? My mouth tasted very bitter with jealousy. "Of course, why don't we dance then? I guess there is no reason for me to refuse." I accepted Skyler's hand which he tenderly held and brought to his lips for a kiss. I don't know if Skyler had a fetish for kissing my hand 'cause it was his favourite way of greeting me. My lips pursed into a tight smile and I joined him on the dance floor."You can't get your eyes off him," Skyler whispered close to my ears which made me feel ticklish. I held his hand while my other hand was on his shoulder as we waltzed on the dance floor. The moment Skyler's hand touched my back, it sent shivers down my back, feeling his callous hand
(Karis's pov) We were so close that it felt inappropriate for a married woman, but who cares? After all, my husband was dancing with another lady leaning on his shoulders. "You just want to get on Xander's nerves for fun." I am amused at how Skyler had a boyish grin on his face excited by whatever mischief he had in mind. "At least that's something we have in common." Skyler mused and my eyes popped out. I did want to get back at Xander for fun and have been pushing him up the brink since our wedding night. Skyler had clues about how my marriage which was surprising. We were in the middle of the hall directly under the chandelier. The truth was that Skyler and I also looked like a couple. "Don't be so shocked, Karis. You are super easy to read. Just follow my lead." Skyler gazed down at me, our position was still uncomfortable with the way his intoxicating breath fanned over me. "But I can't find Xander anywhere," I stated my concerns because aside from Emma, who was gl
(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
(Karis's pov) If you want something done you have to plan meticulously. Today was the day Xander was going to be addressing the public in a press conference announcing his new official role as the chairman and president of the De Marco group. As his wife, I was meant to accompany him there, but I would rather not go anywhere with Xander, especially where he would be with his lover. By the time it was morning, he was nowhere to be found in the villa. I guessed he was super busy, which made things better for me. When John asked if I would be attending the event, I made an excuse that my body wasn't feeling so well, and I rather skip it out, which he understood. From the moment I saw Xander in bed with Emma, I knew this was going to happen, and nothing was holding me back. It has been exactly two days now and it was time to leave my hell. That was why I acted nice around him so that his guard would be down. I knew he would not miss me while I was gone. Th