chapter 3

LIA

Karl's betrayal has tormented me since we parted ways. The memory of that day is seared into my brain.

My giddy anticipation, the weight of the cake and vodka in my hand, Karl's cruel words, and the venom in his eyes. It has burned holes into my memory, haunting me every waking moment.

Two weeks of sobbing have left me hollow. I cried for what I have become and for the love I thought I had. I feel so angry, so used. My bitterness has gradually turned into hatred and resentment.

This nightmare has become my new reality, no matter how much I wish it away.

After I made a fool of myself by fainting in front of Karl and his mistress, I woke up to find myself curled up like a sardine on the couch of our living room, with my luggage and a divorce paper. Karl had instructed his driver, Olat, to take me to a mouse-sized apartment on the outskirts of town, with an ultimatum to leave after a month.

How nice of him, right?

I'm still in the apartment, not knowing where to start.

I finally understand when people say, "ignorance is bliss." When I was oblivious to Karl's hatred, I was a happy woman. I woke up every day with a smile that rivaled the sunshine. I thanked the stars every day for bringing Karl to me. I was living my best life and felt fulfilled.

Every day, I tell myself finding out about Karl's infidelity was for the best, but deep down, I wish I hadn't found out.

Call me a fool, but the pain of knowing that the husband I loved for five years doesn’t share the same sentiment is gut-wrenching and more painful than anything I’ve ever experienced.

Today, I have decided to save the last shards of my dignity and seek out Karl's lawyer. I have not taken that step until now, still living in my delusions and pain, hoping this isn’t real. But now I’m ready. Karl cheated on me, so I should be eager to finalize this divorce. There should be no reason for me to hesitate.

He threw the divorce papers in my face, for God’s sake. If I wait for Karl to reach out first because of my hesitation, I don't think I’ll be able to live with myself.

I slip into my best pleated dress, making sure I look my best while, ironically, I’m crumbling on the inside.

As I arrive at his lawyer's office, we exchange a few words before diving straight into signing the papers. Everything happens in a blur. Physically, I am here, but my mind is far away, contemplating.

At first, I had decided to leave Leavenworth quietly after this, but now I don't want to do that anymore. I refuse to leave like the coward I’ve always been and hope karma catches up to him.

I want to repay him for how he treated me. I need to do this for myself. For once, I need to stand up for myself, even if this will be the first and last time I do.

Karl has hurt me more than I can ever imagine, so it is only right that I make him feel a fraction of the pain he put me through. Even if it only scratches the surface, at least I can continue my life knowing that he lost something dear to him.

After the divorce is finalized, my mind is already made up. I greet the lawyer with a pleasant smile, already feeling the joy of what I’m about to do. I exit his building promptly and take a cab to Dickson's Farm and Refineries, the biggest and only one in town.

My heart bangs against my ribcage at a terrifying pace as I make my way to Karl's father's office. Like I said, this won’t be enough to heal the pain and sorrow Karl caused me, but it will surely do a little.

I’m not a stranger in this building. I have always played the good wife, bringing fruits, food, vitamins, and varieties for his father.

Now that I think about it, I hate myself for it. The memory makes me want to throw up. I strived to be perfect for Karl, yet he didn’t regard me.

Eyes and whispers follow me as I make my way to the office. I don’t take the stairs; I use the elevator.

Karl liked to make demeaning remarks about how I should take the stairs when the option was available so I could lose some fat. And I did, diligently, as if it were health advice he gave because he cared for me. Now, that I think about it, I realize how stupid I was not to see it for what it was.

The secretary to his father’s office tries to stop me, but I quickly maneuver my way around her. I burst into the office, coming face to face with a man who is a carbon copy of Karl but much older.

The secretary steps in seconds after. "I tried to stop her, but she wouldn't listen—." She begins, but my ex-father-in-law waves her off curtly.

As the door closes behind me, he speaks first. "Lia, I have heard the news of you and my son's divorce. It's sad that you both have to part ways, but since it's a mutual agreement..." He stops, leaving me to fill in the rest.

A bitter scoff slips past my lips. "Mutual agreement, my foot."

Karl’s father’s eyebrows shoot up as if he can’t believe his ears.

I was always on my best behavior, nice and smiling in front of his father, even to his mother, who never hid her hatred for me. But right now, I don’t care. It’s like I am on some sort of one-time steroid, doing everything I wouldn’t usually do.

My steps don’t falter as I walk towards him, stopping at the edge of his desk.

His eyes wrinkle in annoyance as if I’m already taking too much of his time. "Look, Lia—."

I lay the document flat on his desk. "This contains evidence of how Karl has been siphoning the company’s funds into offshore accounts."

Karl’s father bolts upright as he reaches for the document.

"If this is a ploy to destroy my son because he suddenly doesn’t want you anymore, young lady, you have something else coming for you."

"Yes, this is a ploy to destroy Karl as he destroyed me, but the evidence is true. You can trace the accounts down." I say with confidence that can only be gotten when one is high on adrenaline. "And the divorce isn’t a mutual agreement; Karl cheated on me with his secretary."

I turn around, leaving Karl’s father to be my karma.

Knowing that Karl has a lot of brothers waiting for him to misstep so they can hijack the company from him, I know he is doomed. It brings me immense joy that I am going to take the most precious thing from him.

The adrenaline has long dissipated as I step into the apartment. My excitement has been replaced by exhaustion. Ruining Karl’s life brings me some satisfaction, but it isn’t enough to get rid of the heartache I feel. After all, I have loved this man for five years of my life. The moment I slump onto the bed, a loud knock on the door startles me. My head snaps up.

"Fucking open the door, Lia." Karl’s roar fills me with dread.

I was so caught up in my plans that I didn’t even think about Karl’s reaction. I don’t make an attempt to open the door, but the knock gets louder, sharper, and more vicious. I can feel his anger bleeding into each knock. Fear grips me tightly as the lock begins to rattle.

When it’s obvious the wooden door won’t hold Karl’s wrath, I make my way to the door with heavy steps, grabbing a stick just by the entrance.

With my heart lodged in my throat, I open the door. Karl shoves in with force, causing me to tumble, the back of my legs hitting the edge of the coffee table in the center.

"You." He spits. "You told my father that I’m laundering money."

I flinch at his wrath.

"How dare you?" He walks towards me with menacing strides.

"Stay away." My voice quivers as I extend the stick forward.

Karl scoffs as he continues to approach me. "Do you think you will get away with ratting me out to my father, huh?"

Exactly—she wasn’t thinking. She was too caught up in her feelings. If she thought this through, she would have been out of here before he found her.

"Stay away." I repeat, my hand trembling around the stick.

Karl halts just when the other end of the stick brushes his chest. He rips the stick out of my hand with a violent motion. An involuntary scream escapes my lips when he lunges at me and grabs my collar.

"I’ve made it easy for you, right?" Karl grunts in my face.

I squeeze my eyes shut in fear.

"Now, I’m going to fuck you up the way you did."

"Please," I say with trepidation.

"Please?" Karl roars. "You should have thought of the consequences when you were ruining my life—."

I brace myself for a blow, but instead, I’m dropped from his grip. Confused and relieved, I open my eyes only to find Karl on the floor, grunting in pain.

My eyes widen in shock.

He scrambles to his feet with a yell, only to be met by rapid kicks from a man clad in a black t-shirt and cargo pants.

My mouth falls agape as the assault continues on Karl.

Groans of pain echo in the room with each blow the stranger delivers against him.

When I can't bear the violence anymore, I wobble to my feet and I step between the stranger and Karl. "Please, stop. You are going to kill him."

"He laid his hands on you." The stranger says simply in a low rumble and gravelly voice. "He deserves to die."

"He hasn't laid his hand on me yet." I sigh, exhaustion weighing heavy on my tired shoulder.

"Don't cover for him." The stranger's gaze flickers to me and I swear to God I almost shrink by how intense it is.

"No." I wrap my arms around myself so my body doesn't crumble to the ground. "I don't want things to get messier, I just want him out."

He hesitates but grumbles in acknowledgment before grabbing Karl by the collar and hoisting up to his feet with one hand. "Consider yourself lucky."

When the stranger releases Karl, he gives me on last look before he scurry out of the room. I haven't seen Karl cower like a coward like this before so it brings me a twisted sense of satisfaction to see him crumble in front of this stranger.

After Karl disappears, the stranger who helped me turns to me. "Are you okay?" His voice holds no warmth, it sounds purely functional.

"Yes, thank you." I nod my head.

Good," he replies curtly. "I'm here to take you home. Your father has been in a car accident." He doesn't miss a beat as he delivers this shocking news to me.

My breath catches in my throat and my head spins. "what?"