Two months before.
Karma shielded her eyes from the sunlight, and ducked into the cool shade. The summer sun was high in the sky, grinning and stretching it hot rays down to the earth.
She massaged her temple, hoping the headache would at least abate a little.
She had been having constant headache, blurry vision and her nose dripping blood. Even now, she had to roll bit of tissue to lodge into her nose to avoid the stain on her light blue shirt.
She was waiting for the surprise birthday package she ordered for Ethan. Anticipation surged in her blood, and she drummed her fingers merrily against her thighs.
Things with Ethan had been…quite strained ever since the restaurant incident. Karma knew she was in the wrong of course, Ethan pointed that out several times.
But she still had trouble reconcilating with the idea. She had fainted too for god's sake.
She was rescued by the taxi man. The taxi man!
She spent a week in the family hospital where Seraphina visited her everyday.
She really could be sweet like that.
She ran her hands through her perfect coiffure and sighed. She was feeling quite agitated for some reason.
A dark ominous cloud of misfortune probably hovered around her head, waiting for the perfect moment to fall. And with her horrible luck, it'll be today.
She grabbed her phone to call her secretary. She picked up on the second ring.
"Yes, boss?" Grace's shrill voice hit her ears.
"The files on the table, can you send them to me? I'm at my fiance's house. I'll text you the address." She said briskly.
She heard a muttered curse and a few grumbling before her secretary spoke up, this time with a hard voice.
"The transfer of shares?" This was accompanied with a light scoff from Grace.
Karma could picture her eyes rolling. She clenched and unclenched her first around the hem of her shirt and finally worked the furious tide of anger rising in her to subside.
"Yes that one." She replied briskly, "not that it's any of your business, checking the content…."
The beep indicating the end of the call. Karma stood with her mouth wide open.
This was a new level of rude, even for Grace. Grace had been hired by her father and Karma had an inkling that she was probably reporting everything to him.
She'll deal with her later, she made a silent promise to herself. The delivery guy was here.
Holding the flowers in one arm, and the large box in another, she entered the elevator. Her heart felt lighter now that her plans are in motion.
She was going to transfer her shares, the one left to her by her mother and the one she bought herself, to her fiance.
It'll be the perfect wedding gift. Along with the marriage certificate she procured a month ago.
It was going to be perfect. She checked out her appearance in the elevator mirror, satisfied with what she saw.
The white maxi skirt with ruffles and paired with the blue shirt, and the pearl clasped on her throat and ears, she looked radiant and innocent.
She flexed her left hand, where the ring nestled comfortably, if a bit overlarge for her finger.
Knowing Ethan's password to his penthouse worked in her favor today, as she quickly punched the numbers in.
When she entered into the huge living room, shock gripped her, rendering her speechless.
She stood rooted to the spot as awful sounds of pleasure swirled around her. It was like a nightmare, this black roaring thunderstorm inside her heart.
Male grunts accompanied with high female squeal made her drop the content on her arms with a light thud. Her legs had turned into rubbery jelly, but she managed to coax them into the bedroom.
Her fingers shaking terribly, vision clouded with tears, she pushed the door open.
Karma was always a firm believer that a good shock brings you back to reality, but not this one.
Nothing could have prepared her for the sight of her stepsister Seraphina, clinging to Ethan as he thrust savagely into her.
She whimpered into her palms and they both turn to look her the door.
Seraphina looked smug, her forehead glistening with perspiration.
"What are you doing here?" Ethan demanded harshly, grabbing a towel to cover his nakedness.
"Oh my God. Oh my God." Karma whispered to herself, her fingers clutching her shirt tight.
"Sister!" Seraphina wailed, tears streaming down her face. "It was a mistake!"
"You.." Karma tried to speak amidst the tears but her voice failed her.
The dark ominous cloud of misfortune had turn into torrent of rain and was falling on her.
"I can explain," Seraphina sobbed, her eyes leaking tears.
Though she looked anything but remorseful, what's with the small smirk that quickly turned into a grimace.
Karma wondered if it had always been there. Perhaps she'd been too stupid to see it.
Words floated around her like dust mote, settling on her skin with a light uncomfortable buzz. She couldn't grasp any of them.
She should leave. She watched Ethan, the coiled tension in his shoulder, the dodgy way he wouldn't meet her eyes.
"You wasn't supposed to find out like this," he said brusquely.
Seraphina's eyes sparkling with ill concealed glee.
Karma came to a conclusion. The feeling of being used gripped her strongly and she held the door knob with a white knuckle.
An icy cold descended on her seemingly making her heart beat sluggishly. Different emotions churned in her belly, betrayal was a black chasm, gapping with each passing moment.
She grabbed the door handle and turned to leave. Her legs were wobbly and she willed herself to stop crying.
Her blurry vision caught the edge of a brown envelope on the oak table and perhaps it was the shock that still had her reeling, maybe it was the anger that was slowly surfacing, but something made her stop.
She examined the content of the brown envelope and a paper fell out. A gasp ripped out of her throat, as her misty eyes sought the words written on them.
A marriage certificate. The same marriage certificate she'd gone length to procure as a surprise for Ethan. It was signed by someone else.
The elegant scrawl of signature, nestling at the corner of the white paper.
A bold idea flickered into her mind, it's deft fi
ngers creating tantalizing illusion that made her stop breathing.
Perhaps things wasn't as bad as she feared. Perhaps she could use this to her advantage.