Trust and Betrayal

Chapter 5: My Karma

Brandon's Point of View

(6 years later)

Time goes by faster than you ever expect. After Danielle and I divorced, Natalie and I had our beautiful daughter, Ryleigh, and got married a year later. We had a huge wedding, all the family and friends in attendance. My mom and dad weren't thrilled with how I handled the divorce, but I knew they'd come around eventually. Things were finally looking up, or at least that's what I kept telling myself.

After the judge granted Danielle the house and 200 million in our divorce settlement, she stood up and left the courtroom. No words, no glance back, just silence. I knew she was hurting, but I told myself she'd be okay. This was the best decision for us, at least, I kept repeating that in my head.

I didn't see Danielle after that. Last I heard, she'd sold the house and disappeared. No one knew where she went. I just hoped she was happy, really happy.

Things with Natalie were good the first year of our marriage, but then cracks started to show. She was nothing like Danielle; she couldn't cook, she couldn't clean, she shopped constantly, partied endlessly, and went out of town with friends I'd never even met. She rarely spent time with Ryleigh or me anymore, and being home on time was like pulling teeth.

I had to hire a nanny for Ryleigh and a housekeeper just to keep the house livable. Natalie was forgetting to pick Ryleigh up from school or ballet, and I couldn't rely on her to maintain even the basics at home.

I tried talking to Natalie, tried to make her see that we needed balance, that she needed to be more present. But every time, it was the same argument; she was a free spirit, a passionate soul, and I needed to be supportive, the same words I used to love about her now stabbing me in the chest. Ryleigh was starting to pull away from her. Something had to change.

That evening, I left the office and tried calling Natalie. No answer, straight to voicemail like always. I sighed, shaking my head as I walked out of the building.

At home, I was greeted by the staff and my little Ryleigh, whose smile could light up the darkest day. We went to the dining room, and she chattered about school and ballet. I listened, chiming in here and there, soaking in every word.

Then the front door opened. Natalie strutted in with more shopping bags, tossing them carelessly on the kitchen counter. She waved at the maid and barked orders like she owned the place.

"Hey, you two, how was your day?" she asked, plopping into a chair and stretching her legs under the table.

"It was good, finally got the documents signed for the new project," I said, trying to keep my voice calm.

Ryleigh stayed silent, her small face tense, eyes darting between us.

"May I be excused?" she asked softly.

"Not this time, you're starting to look like a little skeleton, eat," Natalie snapped.

"Who asked you? I was talking to dad," Ryleigh said, her voice trembling a little.

I felt my chest tighten. The disrespect was shocking.

"Watch your tone, young lady, I said eat," Natalie said, slamming her fork down. Ryleigh rolled her eyes but stayed quiet. I made a mental note, we were going to have a talk later.

Dinner ended in tense silence. When Ryleigh went upstairs, I followed Natalie to the bedroom. She was in the closet, shoving clothes and shopping bags into drawers, barely looking at me.

"Natalie, we need to talk," I said, keeping my voice measured.

"Ugh, again? What now?" she huffed, not turning around.

"Us, and Ryleigh, she misses you, she notices you aren't around much anymore," I said, trying to keep the anger out of my tone.

"I don't care if she misses me; she's spoiled and disrespectful, you baby her too much," Natalie said, finally spinning to face me, her eyes flashing.

"That's bulls**t, I'm the only one here making time for her, you shop, party, and disappear with your friends, forgetting you have a daughter and a husband who needs you," I shot back, my hands clenching into fists at my sides.

She laughed bitterly, stepping closer, "I'm sorry, I want to enjoy my life instead of being at your beck and call all the time. You knew I was this way, you loved it, now you complain. You're just mad I won't sit home like Danielle did."

"Leave Danielle out of this, and seriously, you're married with a child, Danielle knew how to keep her house together, cook, clean, she didn't run around acting like—"

"F**k you, Brandon, you're always comparing me to her. If she did all that, maybe you should've stayed with her," she yelled, pointing a finger at me.

My chest burned, heat rushing to my face, my hands shaking, "Maybe if you acted like a wife and mother, we wouldn't be having this discussion, and don't act like you weren't ready to take her place because you were insecure for years, feeling second best!"

"So what, you wish she were here instead of me?" Her voice was sharp, her nails dug into the counter as she leaned forward, eyes wild.

"Stop giving me a reason to feel that way, or you'll be divorced," I growled, taking a step closer, fists trembling.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that. I'm your wife, show some respect," she snapped, taking a step forward, our faces inches apart.

"Then start acting like one," I yelled, my voice breaking. I could feel the rage bubbling, the guilt, the frustration, all colliding in one fiery storm.

We stared at each other, the room charged, every heartbeat loud, every breath tense. I could see her anger mirrored my own. She stomped across the room, kicked a chair, and grabbed another shopping bag, tossing it across the floor. Clothes scattered, plastic crinkled under the tension, and for a second, we both froze, breathing hard, chest heaving, eyes locked.

"I'm tired of this, Brandon, you're always so controlling, always so obsessed with Danielle, always criticizing me!" she screamed, tears forming, voice cracking.

I swallowed hard, rage and guilt twisting in my gut, "I'm tired of you ignoring everything that matters, pretending your life is more important than your family, pretending like you don't even care about your daughter!"

Her lips trembled, her eyes narrowed, "You're a hypocrite, Brandon, always judging, always blaming, always pointing fingers, you never think about how your actions affect anyone else!"

I felt a cold knot in my stomach, knowing she was right in some ways, but the anger didn't leave me, not yet. "I made my choices, now I have to live with the consequences, and so do you! Ryleigh deserves more than this, and so do I!"

Natalie threw her hands in the air, stormed past me, and slammed the bedroom door. The echo lingered in the hallway, the tension hanging like a storm cloud.

I sank onto the edge of the bed, shaking, chest tight, sweat on my brow. I was drained, furious, and heart pounding. I was tired of Natalie and her bulls**t. If things didn't change soon, I was gone. I knew this was my karma, the chaos I'd once caused Danielle was circling back to me.

I made my bed, now I had to lie in it, and somewhere deep down, I wondered if this was the universe teaching me exactly what love really costs.

Author Notes

Whew, the saying is true...you reap what you sow. Karma is a b**tch! What goes around comes around.

I hope y'all enjoy this chapter.

Until next time...Bye for Now😘