Pessimist

KARMA

- KARMA EXCERPT -
(subjected to change)

When I finally stumbled through the concrete doors the sight that bestowed upon me had left me breathless. There, among the filthy cold room which sat a bed pushed to the corner riddled with thin, cheap blanket and a sorry excuse for a pillow, laid Catalina, covered in blood in a cold shiver with her back curled to me.

My chest felt heavy, the pain radiating through my body dispersed the anger I felt there and instead, I was left with sorrow. I approached her with careful steps, seeing something clutched in her arms and as I crouched down to examine the ruin that was of her body.

She was stripped down to her underwear, her right arm extended beside her while her left held a small tube to her chest. Her eyes were closed, mouth in a motionless line, and body shaking with every shallow pant.

"Catalina..." I whispered softly, as to not startle her. With the sound of my voice her left hand tightened, shifting the object closer to her giving me a better view of what it was. A needle. Catalina was five years sober and here she was, most possibly drugged out and suffering withdrawals with the way her lips held a tinge of blue and sweat glistened her brown skin. Her next fix was tucked against her in safety and I wanted to do nothing more than to rip it from her grasp and wreak havoc on any and all persons who had done this damaging, decaying, cruel thing to her.

She had worked so hard...so tirelessly in order to get clean and they've taken that from her. Ripped her sobriety up into shreds that forge all of existence.

My throat closed and I reached out, peeling back an eyelid to check her pupil dilation before rolling her onto her back, my hand cupping her jaw and lightly trying to slap her awake. Fear coursed through me when she stayed motionless, and with better examination I could see her body riddled in bruises of all colours.

"My darling..." I choked out, tears gathering in my eyes. "What have they done to you?"

My eyes landed on her right hand—the one that was supposed to adorn her engagement and wedding rings—and I was met with the sight of her bare ring finger at an odd angle, the skin swelled to the point of physical pain bringing me to my knees in exhaust.

They had broken it on purpose.

♕ ♕ ♕

Catalina Khatri.

Assassin. Addict. And someone with the optimal skills to carry a dagger with the sense of confidence and pride. With her life encapsulated by her father due to a conservatorship, her every move is catalogued and in sync with her mind in hopes of attaining a semblance of peace and freedom once and for all.

Reece Choi.

Billionaire. Commander. And someone who won't hesitate to wreak havoc on those who pose a threat to the ones he loves. With his life upending beneath his feet due to a marriage requirement, his sole purpose is tracking down the only person he trusts to marry—his once high school rival—in hopes of exchanging a deal in order to keep the heir to his fathers company.

Enemies without a forgiving chance. Chaos at every corner. What will happen when their marriage poses a threat to those untold?

KARMA: completed novel out now.