Queen Of Hearts: My Ex Or My Next.

Laura

“A paper has no soul. That's why I never felt a damn thing!” His voice cracked like thunder, striking me harder than any slap.

Yes, he was right. A paper has no soul. But after a one-year contract marriage, our bond grew stronger than ink on paper, escalating into three years of marriage and then, just one night… everything fell apart.

The air was knocked from my lungs. I shut my eyes. “This is just a nightmare, Laura.” I took a deep breath, my hands resting on my belly. 

“He wouldn't dare do this to us.”

Just as I was lost in my sliver of hope, the betrayal slammed into me like a death kiss.

 “You filled the void in her place. Nothing more!” he snapped and my world tilted.

My eyes landed on her.

Leila. My blood sister. She stood there, her face radiating delight with a hand circling her stomach, the anniversary ring made for me gleaming between her fingers.

Her past filth echoed in my mind. I never believed it; now I'm drowning in the depths of my own ignorance.

My veins brewed in rage, boiling and hot, and I slapped her hard across the face.

 “You’re so shameless!” My voice roiled with disgust. “You were supposed to be my sister… how could you?”

Her chest heaved. “You dare raise your hand to me!” She turned to Kai. “Don't just stand there… do something!”

I turned to Kai. A flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes. His lips parted, opening and closing without a word.

Bang!

A deafening sensation washed over me as the room spun, not from the slap but from the betrayal pressing on me like a second skin.

Kai had never raised his hand to me or any woman I could think of. Now, he struck me hard without a second thought. 

The hole in my chest expanded.

 The homewrecker stood there, a smirk tugging at her lips as she clung to him like a shield. “Don’t you dare next time. We were never equals and we'll never be.” 

She tugged at his arms, her voice dripping with soft malice. “Tyga… it’s time..”

“Yes, Luv, it is.” He said affectionately, gently stroking her hair. 

My throat burned.

Aaron Kai - My husband, Lotus City mogul… now a puppet for a mistress, not just any mistress but my sister.

I swallowed the lump stuck in my throat, but it refused to go down. 

“Sign it!”

He handed me a file and the same pen I'd used in signing my marriage certificate. 

My mom was a lawyer, and I recognized that file instantly.

My heart pounded. The knot of bile rising up my throat, but I couldn't act vulnerable.

“So, I help you climb to the top, and you leave me rotting below?” I said through gritted teeth. “No, It’s for better or worse… you signed up for it.”

His face reddened. His fist clenched at his sides.

“I never experienced a father's love,” I leaned closer to him, my voice low. “My babies won't suffer the same fate.”

 I shoved the document into his chest.

“I won't sign it,” I said firmly. “Not until Grandpa tells me to.”

Grandpa Carlos was my last resort. He was the reason we had gotten married. After being diagnosed with cancer he was moved to a private care facility. I was sure he wasn't aware of this, else, Kai wouldn't dare to divorce me.

I brushed past him, but he grabbed my wrist, his gray eyes blazing with fury.

“You’ll end it… here and now!” His grip tightened around my wrist bone. “Pick up the pen and sign the damn papers,” His voice was subtle, but threatening.

It felt like the room was closing in on me. I blinked back the sting in my eyes, but the dam in me threatened to break.

Betrayed or not, I would forgive him in a heartbeat and call this a mistake. 

I forced my tongue to move. “Like I said, I won't sign anything until I hear from —” 

A sharp slap burned my cheek sending me halfway across the room. The pain rang through my face with every blink as a salty taste bit into my lips.

“Sign the divorce papers. Get rid of those things in your stomach… and leave my house!” He snarled, gesturing toward the door.

Things! The words stabbed me like a dagger. A rush of blood shot to my head, pulsing through my skull.

Thwack! 

The crisp sound of the slap tore through the room. 

 I grabbed his collar. “How dare you call our children… things!” My voice breaking as I battered on his chest. “First you brought another woman into this house, then you’re divorcing me for doing nothing, and calling our children things! You weren't stone cold… what changed?”

He didn't flinch, just frozen like a glacier. Cold and distant.

“Let go of him, you witch!” She growled, shoving me to the floor with brutal force.

“Ahh!” 

My screams pierced the air, a stabbing sensation coursing through my stomach as I curled up, clutching my belly, struggling to breathe. 

The floor felt cold beneath me, and the room spun, but I fought to stay conscious. My legs shook as I struggled to stand.

My gut twisted in horror as I caught my reflection in the mirror.

“No, no, no, you didn't do anything!” Tears lashed down my cheeks as I gripped my red blooming dress.

“You see… that's fate’s way of keeping us apart,” he deadpanned.

My heart froze. 

I had lost our child and this was all he had to say.

I looked up at Leila, clad in a black, knee-length dress, her hazel eyes locking onto mine with venomous pride. She winked slyly, slipping out a small sachet, somewhat like a tea bag, before quickly tucking it back into her pocket.

 Then, it hit me. I haven't been feeling well lately, from nausea to severe crampings. I thought it was the early stages of pregnancy.

A gasp escaped my lips, “Laura, what have you done?” I had been so blind, drinking the poison she had brewed right under my nose. 

I wasn't just a victim, but the catalyst that killed my baby.

At that moment, a fog of revenge clogged in my chest. I wiped my tears, hands still trembling, with one final stroke, I signed the divorce papers.

He blinked in disbelief. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

I broke the pen, heat flushing through my bones. “You bastards… I'd take everything from you both, until you're both hopeless!”

The clicking of my heels echoed across the hall as I stormed toward the door.

.

.

.

.

“You'll both pay,” I whispered, hugging myself tightly as the winter breeze bit through my skin.

I fixed my gaze on the floor, avoiding every pair of eyes as the whispers grew louder with every step.

Suddenly, a harsh light flashed in my face, blinding and hot as a car horn blared, vibrating through my skull. 

My heart pounded.

I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for impact.

But it never came.

“Have you lost your mind, princess? F**k off the road!”

A masculine voice shouted from behind me, his footsteps drawing closer.

I turned.

His deep blue eyes locked onto mine, unblinking, as his jet black hair hung over his shoulders, accentuating his perfectly tailored suit. The scent of lavender filled the air, the moonlight making him look sinisterly hot.

“Your nose, You're bleeding!”

My vision blurred as I slumped into his arms.

I tried to run, but my body betrayed me. His arms wrapped around me like iron bars, and I wasn't sure I wanted to escape.

“Don't die, Cute Bug.”

His voice echoed as the darkness took me.