Karma Doesn’t Sleep: The Revenge Queen Rises novel Chapter 17

Amelia could remember every detail like it was yesterday. It was Clive’s birthday, and they’d only just gotten together. He’d promised her dinner, so she spent three hours getting ready, fussing over every little thing. She was so excited, her heart fluttering as she waited for him at the restaurant.

But she waited and waited. The hours crept by, the restaurant emptied out, and still, Clive didn’t show. By the time they closed up for the night, she was the only one left. She tried calling him, but his phone was off. Worry gnawed at her. What if something had happened? She rushed to his campus, her mind racing with every worst-case scenario.

She waited outside his dorm, sitting on the cold steps all night, holding on to the hope that he’d show up. But when morning came, it wasn’t Clive she saw—it was his roommate, Michael. He looked at her like he wished he could disappear. After a long, awkward pause, he finally blurted out that Clive had gone to the hospital the night before.

She’d been so naïve and thought Clive had got sick. She’d actually asked Michael not to tell Clive she’d waited, because she didn’t want him to worry. The whole time, she’d been clueless. While she was waiting for him in the cold, Clive was with Kristen.

Amelia couldn’t take it anymore. She shut her eyes tight, every breath sharp and painful. She couldn’t get that photo out of her head. It felt like someone had stabbed her right in the softest part of her heart, twisting the knife until she was raw and bleeding inside.

She’d always thought Kristen had only swooped in during those five years she’d been in a coma, that Clive and Kristen had gotten together while she was gone. But the truth was, they’d been sneaking around from the very beginning.

Of course, Clive’s friends all knew about Kristen. To them, Amelia has just been a joke—a pathetic, clueless fool.

A cold numbness settled in her chest as it all sank in. Clive had set Kristen up to be her secretary at work. While Amelia was pregnant and trusting, Clive was already cheating on her with Kristen.

How could he do this to her? How could he treat her like she was nothing?

The hurt and anger built up inside her, ready to burst. She was shaking so hard she could barely breathe when Diana pulled her into a hug, holding her tight.

“Amelia…”

Amelia swallowed down the pain and forced a wobbly smile. “I’m fine,” she said, even though she barely believed it herself.

Everything Clive had done, every hurt, every lie... He was going to pay for it, one way or another. He didn’t deserve to be called her children’s father.

Amelia had just turned the corner in the hallway when she heard a small, sweet voice.

“Mommy Kristen, look! I got a gold star at preschool today. Ms. Johnson said I could give it to the person I love the most.”

Amelia stopped in her tracks. That voice belongs to Penny.

How was Penny here? Clive had told her both kids would be going to piano lessons after school.

Before she could figure out what was going on, she heard Kristen reply, her voice all soft and sweet.