Chapter 15: 4 A.M.
“Karma, what the hell is your problem?” he asks, in a harsh whisper. “Do you have any idea what time it
is?”
Karma nces over at Casper in the driver''s seat. “I uh . . . I need to talk to you.”
“Can''t this wait ''til morning?” There''s a pause on his end. “I''m at home . . . with my wife.”
“This can''t wait.” She sighs, skimming her hand over the simple ck portfolio that''s about to forever
alter another four lives. “We''re outside.”
“We?”
Casper takes the phone from her. “Open the door, little brother.”
“Casper?”
He hands the phone back to Karma.
“Cain . . .” She takes a deep breath. “He knows. Everything.”
“Now, did I ask you to share that bit of information with him?” Casper shoots her a lookced with
enough venom to take down an elephant. “Hang up the damn phone.”
Casper exits the car, then walks around to the passenger side and helps Karma from the front seat.
She stands beside his Bentley, unmoving. Her feet have be one with the paved driveway.
Seeing that she might need a little incentive to move her ass, Casper reminds her that he could have
copies of these home videos on the desks of her boss and everyst one of her colleagues. Her feet
seem to recover their ability to walk in a matter of seconds. He follows her slow stride up the front steps
of Cain''s home.
Casper stands just behind Karma on the front porch of his little brother''s house. The gaslightnterns
that decorate the garden flicker on, giving everything within a three-foot radius an eerie glow. A
shudder runs through Karma when she hears voices on the other side of the double doors of the front
entrance to Cain''s home.
Secondster, Cain''s wife, Manali answers the door.
Her deep umber hair is brushed up into a messy bun. Dressed in a thin satin robe,vender bra, and
matching silk shorts, her fuller figure is a silken work of art. The caramel skin covering her petite frame
sings against the delicate, pastel material. She pulls the garment closed over her more than adequate
assets, as she greets her brother and sister-inw.
“Casper, Karma . . . What are you doing here? Is something wrong?” Manali searches their faces.
Casper remains stone-faced, while Karma only has eyes for her feet.
Cain appears behind Manali and tries to usher her back into the house. He tugs on her arm, but she
shrugs off his grip.
“Go back to bed, baby.” He kisses her forehead, which makes Casper''s skin want to crawl off his body.
“I can handle this.”
“What is there to handle?” she asks Cain. Then she directs her focus to Casper. “Did something
happen to Mom and Dad?”
Manali''s mind shoots to the one logical reason that would have anyone making an unannounced visit at
this hour. Something must have happened to Charles and Leonora Caghan.
She''s close to her inws. Even refers to them as Mom and Dad. With her parents living across the
country in California, the Caghans are her surrogate mother and father. If any unfortunate event were
to befall them, she''d be just as broken up about it as Casper and Cain would be.
Casper steps forward into the house. He shoots daggers at his brother, before cing his hands on
Manali''s arms. He smiles at her and gives her shoulders a reassuring caress.
He looks into her dark amber eyes and the concern dancing in their depths. Her lids are still heavy with
the slumber that was interrupted by his and Karma''s arrival. Casper almost reconsiders the pain he''s
about toy at her feet.
“Everyone is fine. Mum and Dad are fine. How are my nieces?”
“They''re good, Cash.” An uneasy smile apanies her furrowed brow.
He ignores the question on her face and continues to inquire about the lives of his nieces. “Has Sophie
started ballet yet?”
“Yeah, she and Jillie will both be in the Dance Premierepetition in two weeks.”
“Really?” Casper takes Manali''s hands in his. “Let me know what time and ce. Their uncle will be in
the front row.”
“Of course, we will.” She nudges his side. “I know you didn''t drive all the way over here, just to make
small talk.”
“You''re right. I didn''t.” He nces back at Cain. “I just needed to have a word with my little brother. He
and I have something very important to discuss.”
Cain taps his foot on the gleaming wood floor. “What do you want, Casper?”
Casper shes one more smile at Manali, then pulls a sniffling Karma into the house by her arm. She''s
been standing frozen just outside the threshold, ying with the leather case that contains the
evidence of her and Cain''s infidelity.
Her lover''s wife inquires into her welfare, but she pretends to be hard of hearing. Karma refuses to
even meet Manali''s stare.
“Karma, are you okay?” Manali asks, touching Karma''s shoulder.
Hot tears begin to streak Karma''s cheeks again. “I''m so sorry, Manali. I never intended for things to go
N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.
this far.”
“Sorry for what?” Manali takes Karma''s hand and wipes a tear from her cheek. Karma just shakes her
head and lets her hand slip out of Ali''s grasp. “Could somebody please tell me what''s going on?”
“Cain, I am sure you know why we''re here. So I''m going to let you exin the situation to your wife.” He
takes a seat in one of the baroque chairs near the door, then props his right leg on his left. “And tell her
the truth.”
Manali approaches her husband, with one of her thick brows raised. She folds her arms across her
chest. “Cain?”
“There''s nothing to tell, baby.” He gestures to Casper. “This motherfucker is drunk. And I don''t know
why Karma is letting him run wild.”
Cain shoots Karma a look, but she avoids his eyes. She''s not prepared to make direct eye contact with
either of them right now.
“Actually, brother.” The disdain in Casper''s voice permeates the air, making it as toxic as andfill. “I''m
not drunk enough.” He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees. His dark eyes zero in on Cain.
“Tell Manali why I''m here . . . or I will.”
“Then spin your tale, goddammit,” Cain shouts at him. “I don''t have shit to say.”
“Well . . .” Casper sps his hands together and chuckles. “Sex, Lies, and videotape it is.”
Then he signals Karma to set up theptop and cue the presentation. Karma does as he requests,
though she''s taking her sweet time doing so.
“Sometime tonight, Karma.” Casper gives her an exasperated sigh.
Karma nces back at the smirk that''s be a permanent fixture on Casper''s face. There''s no
sense in her dying the inevitable.
The ultrabook powers up. And within seconds, the footage of her and Cain''s tryst this afternoon
appears. Karma leaves theptop on the foyer table and backs as far into a corner as possible.
"What is this," Manali asks.
Casper nods to the screen. "Just watch."
Cain sees a captured version of himself approach Karma onscreen. His mouth hits the floor, as he
watches his and Karma''s usual greeting traveling further and further outside of the PG-13 ballpark.
Realizing the severity of the shit storm Casper just dropped in hisp, he rushes over and ms the
"Get the fuck out of my house, Casper," Cain demands.
Casper leaves his seat and steps into his brother''s personal space.
"I will . . . Right after you answer one simple question for me." He stares down at him. His six-foot-three
stature towers over Cain''s much shorter build. "How long have you been fucking my wife?"
Casper''s words send shockwaves through the room, causing a sudden state of paralysis to overtake
everyone in their path. The weight of his question settles on their shoulders like a fineyer of grime on
porcin figurines.
"What?" Manali shakes her head, rattling the disheveled bun at her crown. It feels like the entire
Antic ocean is swimming in her ears.
"I said get your drunk ass out of my house." Cain is shouting loud enough to wake the neighbors. He
points Casper toward the door.
"Casper, what the hell are you talking about?" Manali touches Casper''s arm.
"Manali, I''m sorry to do this in your home." Casper nces at Ali, before turning back to Cain. "But if he
has the balls to sleep with my wife, in my bed. Then he should have the decency to admit it to my
face."
Three pairs of eyes settle on Cain.
One pair is begging him for some way out of this nightmare. Pleading for a solution that will save them
both from the consequences of their actions. Another is full of a mixture of rage and disappointment.
And thest is still in disbelief, ready to release stinging tears down her cheeks.
Cain breaks. Every foul emotion within himes to a head.
"A year." He looks at his flesh and blood in the eye. "I''ve been blowing your woman''s back out for over
a year now."
The room gets quiet enough to hear a cricket sneeze on the other side of the world.
Manali''s pupils dte. The tears that have been waiting for their curtain call make their debut, streaking
her pretty face with the pain pooling from her heart. She covers her mouth with the hand that bears the
gleaming symbol of the eight-yearmitment she''s shared with Cain. The samemitment which
Cain has just vited.
Karma adopts a deer-in-headlights stare. She sps her arms around herself, trying tobat the
rawness brought on by the exposure of their lies. It leaves her feeling like she just fell off a bike and hit
the pavement traveling ny miles per hour, with nothing between her and the rough asphalt but her
cocoa skin.
Casper just nods.
Then his right hook connects with his little brother''s left cheek. Followed by a one-twobination to
his gut and left nk. Cain doubles over, trying to shield his midsection from Casper''s unyielding fists.
Then Cain gathers his wits and returns some of the heat being thrown at him. Hends a right to
Casper''s jaw, which staggers him. But not for long. Casper regains his stance and is ready to deliver
another flurry of knuckles to Cain''s face and body.
Seeing that Casper came to put in work, Cain resorts to a rather punk-ass move. He bends and angles
his shoulder toward Casper. Cain propels himself forward and charges Casper. Cain pushes his
brother''s towering frame back into the foyer table with enough force to lift Casper off his feet.
The crystal vase of perennials that sat on the tabletop is disced. The priceless heirloom hits the floor
and shatters into an infinite number of pieces. Flowers litter the mahogany wood, creating a wilted
mess of petals and stems, intermingled with the glittering shards of ss.
Casper grunts as his back meets the beveled edge of the wooden frame. A sharp pain radiates the
length of his spine. It''s like someone has shoved a dozen needles into each vertebra, striking the
sensitive spinal cord underneath. He sucks in a breath of air through gritted teeth, trying to ride out the
stimulus that''s osting his nerves.
Cain is still attached to Casper''s torso, firing off blow after blow to his side. He''s focusing his hits on
one spot. The tactic is very effective. Casper''s muscles are taking a beating.
Conscious of the damage Cain is causing, Casper musters the strength to lean up and bring his elbow
down on Cain''s neck. This halts Cain''s lightning attack, allowing Casper to pull himself upright using
the table''s edge as leverage.
After a full sixty seconds of effort, Casper''s feet touch the floor again. The stabs of pain in his side
make the motion seem tost much longer.
His dress oxfords struggle to gain traction on the shards of broken crystal scattered across the polished
hardwoods. Cain seizes this moment of unsteadiness tond another left to Casper''s weakened nk.
Fueled by his growing rage, a surge of energy courses through Casper. He deflects Cain''s sessive
attempts to strike him and wages a counter-attack. Cash locks his arm around Cain''s neck and exerts
as much pressure as he can summon on the coward''s throat. With Cain''s head lodged in the crook of
his arm, Caspernds several devastating blows to his midsection.
Casper isying waste to Cain''s abdominals, when he feels a searing pain in his side, near his lower
back.
Two rows of enamel-d dentin sink into Casper''s flesh, prating the fabric of his button-down like
it''s a flimsy sheet of paper. Cain''s teeth tattoo their emblem on Casper''s skin.
Thank God, Cain had his wisdom teeth pulled years ago. Otherwise, Casper would have four more
teeth gnawing on him. It takes several seconds for Cash to realize that Cain is indeed biting him like a
middle school girl in a yground fight. What grown man does that?
Casper chokes down the audible acknowledgment of the pain and strengthens his hold on Cain''s neck.
Cash feels the energy draining out of his brother, as his air supply is cut short. Cain ms his fist into
Casper''s stomach as hard as he can, trying to get him to break the hold on his vocal cords. But Casper
doesn''t flinch or loosen his grip. His abdominals just absorb the shock of the hit withoutint.
Sensing that he might be on the verge of losing consciousness, Cash lets go and shoves Cain away
from him. Cash stands clutching his afflicted torso and keeps his eyes trained on the bitter man idling a
few feet away from him. Cain res back at him, still struggling to catch his breath.
Manali and Karma observe the standoff without objection to its impending esction. They know that
any sort of interference from either one of them would be ignored. This is the way disputes are settled
when an overdose of testosterone is present. Even if the brothers killed each other, the two women
would just have to stand back and admire their chalk outlines.
Cain makes yet another misguided decision and tries to take one more swing at Casper. His hit misses
the mark, leaving him wide open for Casper to put an end to their altercation.
Cash''s right fist lights up Cain''s chin like a match to gasoline fumes. The blow sends Cain crashing to
the floor. Hends in a crumpled heap at Casper''s feet.
He kneels beside Cain and yanks him up by the cor of his white t-shirt. "You''re my brother. My
brother."
"No, Casper. I''m your cousin. I am an only child." Cain dabs at the blood seeping from his lip. "And until
you showed up, I was my parents'' pride and joy. But then the great and magnificent Casper pops over
from merry old London. And you''re all anyone can talk about . . . How smart Casper is . . . How funny
Casper is . . . I just disappeared."
Casper releases Cain and allows himself to fall back onto his bottom. He sits with his elbows propped
on his knees and hangs his head.
"That''s your problem? You fucked with all of our lives because your ass is jealous?" Casper sighs at
the man in front of him, who has be so small all of a sudden.
"A small price to pay to bring down the mighty Casper." Cain narrows his eyes at Casper.
"You used me?" Karma chimes in. "Just to get back at him?"
"Please, don''t act so innocent." Cain res at Karma. "You were more than happy to spread your legs
for me. You don''t give a fuck about Casper. Never did."
"Fuck you, Cain." Karma leans over and puts her finger in Cain''s face. "I . . . love Casper. And I never
would have cheated on him, if it weren''t for you."
"Bullshit," the men mutter in unison.
They both know if it wasn''t Cain, somewhere down the line it would have been someone else. Karma''s
fake affection for Casper wore out a long time ago. Casper expected her to stray. But he never
imagined it would be with a man he used to refer to as brother with so much love in his heart.
Karma snakes back into the corner where she''s been hiding. The attempt to take some of the me for
this clusterfuck off herself unsessful, she makes the wise choice to keep her mouth shut.
Manali resumes yback on theptop and examines her husband''s technique from a whole new
perspective. She watches without making a peep as Karma and Cain go at it like a couple of pornstars.
A single tear hangs on her longshes like an icicle on the edge of a tree limb, poised for demise.
Having seen enough, she closes theputer. The single drop of moisture severs its connection with
her eysh. It crashes onto theptop''s slick surface, creating a tiny splinteredke.
She takes measured steps toward Casper and Cain. They both stare up at her, then back at each
other. Her expression is difficult to read. The tears would suggest sadness, but her eyes are harboring
a darker emotion.
"Casper?" Manali''s soft voice breaks the tension between the two men. "Would you help your brother
from the floor, please?"
Casper gets to his feet. He stares down at Cain with malice still on his mind but offers his hand to him
anyway. Cain ignores the help and struggles to stand without assistance.
Cash shakes his head. This motherfucker has the nerve to act like he''s the victim here. Unbelievable.
Once Cain is upright, he starts trying to cover up his lies with new ones. "Manali, this is all just one big
misunderstanding."
"What don''t I understand, Cain?" Ali advances toward him with her hands tucked behind her back.
"Ali―."
Before Cain has a chance to utter another word, a freight train barrels into him. The force of Manali''s
dainty body sends him reeling backward, throwing both of them to the floor.
Quicker than anyone in the room can realize what''s happening, she shoves a letter opener into his
face. Casper and Karma are struck dumb. Neither of them even saw her pick it up.
Cain grabs Ali''s wrist, halting her hand just in time. The thin dees within a hair''s breadth of
impaling his eye. The unbridled rage on her face grips his heart, making his breath catch in his throat.
He struggles for the upper hand. But Ali, much like her namesake, is not going to make this fight an
easy one. Perspiration beads on his forehead, as he tries to wrestle the weapon away from her.
Tears continue to fall from her eyes, as she strains to drive the de into his widened pupil. The drops
of saltwater draining from the cracked windows of his wife''s tormented soul traverse the minute gap
that separates them, andnd square between his eyes. The wounded beads of moisture graze his
skin, scorching it like pills of molten iron.
Cain rolls her onto her back and straddles her. He ms her wrist against the hardwood floor. The
letter opener flies from her grip andnds a few feet away. Ali knees him in the groin. While he nurses
his afflicted manhood, Manali has the opportunity to regain her position on top of him. She jabs her
thumbs into Cain''s eye sockets. He screams like an infant experiencing his first needle prick.
Ali doesn''t relent. Even with him digging his stubby nails into her arms and squirming beneath her like a
wild boar, she continues to dig for his optic nerve. She''s determined to make him the next recipient of a
seeing-eye dog.
Casper puts his arms around Manali and tries to wrench her off Cain. He had decided that she
deserved to rough him up a bit. And he was going to allow her the space to do so. But it has be
apparent to Cash that Ali might be trying to kill him.
"Come on, Ali . . . Let him go." He strengthens his grip on her waist, but she won''t release her prey.
Manali is a woman possessed. Casper''s words, or his hands on her, don''t register in her mind. She just
wants the motherfucker beneath her dead.
This motherfucker has stolen thest nine years of her life. This motherfucker who asked her to give up
her career as an agent for some of the best talents that Hollywood has seen in years. This
motherfucker convinced Ali to leave it all behind to move to this sleepy state, and be his picture of
a good southern wife. She birthed his kids, cut the crusts off his bread like his mother used to do, hand-
washed his funky underwear, clipped his crusty toenails.
After all that, this piece of shit has the gall to make a fool out of her. And with her sister-inw no less.
She wants him to bleed. Wants to watch every drop of life drain out of him, until the light fades from his
eyes.
Ali gives up on trying to gouge out his eyes and settles for a quicker injury. She thrusts the bottom of
her palm into his nose with every ounce of energy that she can summon. When she hears the
unmistakable sound of cracking bone and sees the red river flowing down his brown skin, she stops
fighting Casper''s hold on her.
Cash pulls Manali away from a bloodied and broken Cain. Her chest is heaving up and down in rapid
session like her lungs are about to copse. Her eyes are darting back and forth, unable to focus.
Adrenaline courses through her, making her amped-up muscles spasm from inaction. Casper keeps his
arm around her, in case she decides to rush over and finish the job.
"The fuck''s wrong with you, bitch?" Cain cradles his nose in his hand, trying to little avail to curtail the
bleeding.
"The fuck''s wrong with me?" Manali''s voice resembles a howling banshee''s call.
She tries to dive for Cain again. And there''s no doubt she''s aiming for his jugr this time. Casper
grapples with her sudden superhuman strength, almost failing at containing the five-foot-four tornado.
"You broke my goddamned nose," Cain shouts back at her.
"Good." The response escapes Ali''s lips as a low growl.
Karma seems to check back into the melee and rushes over to Cain to help him from the floor. She
pulls a scarf from her handbag, then kneels beside him.
"Leave that bastard right where he is," Manali demands.
Karma looks over at Ali, who shoots a stare cold enough to instigate the transformation of every ounce
of water on Earth to its solid form in her direction. The nce prates her bones, freezing the soft
marrow inside, before making its foray into the ossified matter that surrounds it.
She backs away from Cain. Karma doesn''t need any more daggers being thrown her way. As a matter
of fact, this night seems to be going rather easy on her. No one has hit her . . . At least, not yet.
Cain manages to get to his feet without the aid of anyone else. He yanks off his soiled t-shirt and
presses the cotton to his nose. A crimson blemish spreads across the fabric, staining each thread
redder than thest like a hungry wildfire on arid terrain.
"You''re going to take his word over mine?" Cain removes the shirt from his nose, letting his blood
decorate the floor. "I''m your husband. You know me."
"I don''t know what you are." Ali frowns and shakes her head. "But you aren''t my damn husband."
"Baby, this is bullshit." Cain approaches Manali and Casper.
"Get the fuck out of my house." The words leave her body like vomit. Ali chokes on each scrap of
verbal barbed wire as ites up. The edges of every syble catch in her throat, ripping its fragile
lining to shreds.
Manali feels her muscles protesting all of the activity that she just requested of them. The beginning
effects ofctic acid fermentation fester in theplex tissues, stealing their ability to support her
limbs. Casper ces his arms around her, and she allows him to shoulder her weakened frame against
his chest.
"I''m not going anywhere. This is my house." Cain nts his bare feet, embedding tiny pieces of ss
in his soles. He grimaces but otherwise doesn''t acknowledge the pain.
"Mommy?" A miniature voice disrupts their vile discourse.
The adults turn to find two little angels dressed in matching pink nightgowns standing on the spiral
staircase. Jillian and Sophia, Cain and Manali''s eight and six-year-old daughters. Jillian clutches her
younger sister''s hand in hers, as they walk down a couple more steps. They stare down at the chaotic
scene with eyes clouded by heavy fatigue and childhood naivete.
Manali swipes her hands across her cheeks and faces her kids. "Jillie, Sophie. Go back to bed babies."
"Uncle Casper, Aunt Karma. What are you doing here?" Jillian regards Casper and Karma.
Casper takes it upon himself to answer. "Just paying your mom and dad a visit."
The two girls'' eyes find their father''s bleeding face. Tiny wrinkles form on their foreheads, distorting
their still maturing features.
"Are you hurt, Daddy," Sophie asks.
Manali and Casper nce back at Cain.
"Daddy''s fine. Do what your momma said." He gives them a weak smile, and waves for them to go
back upstairs.
"I''ll be up in a minute to tuck you back in." Manali offers her children a smile. The corners of her mouth
twitch, fighting the genial gesture.
The two girls make a slow turn and head back up the stairs. Once they''re out of sight, Manali speaks to
Casper.
"Make sure he leaves my house." She manages to get out the request before her delicateposure
dissolves.
"I will." Casper puts his arms around Ali. Then he ces a gentle kiss on her cheek. "I''m sorry," he
whispers in her ear.
"I know." She nods, fighting back more stinging tears. "But I''m not."
Manali and Casper release each other. She directs her steps toward the bedrooms of her confused
children, without taking a second look at the man with whom she shared a bed not even an hour earlier.
Cash busies himself with packing up theptop and portfolio. He zips up the carrying case and faces
Judas one and two.
Not saying a word, he grabs a pair of Cain''s yard shoes and a jacket from the coat closet. He tosses
the items to his brother. Then he retrieves Cain''s car keys from their designated hook by the front door.
Cash identifies the three house keys, one each for the front and back entrances, and the door to the
garage. Then he works them off the keychain, and tosses the rest of the keys to Cain.
Casper picks up his bag and holds the front door open for Karma and Cain. "Let''s go."
Karma files out of the house without a word. Cain stays where he is, staring at Casper. They re at
each other in silence. After a few moments of tense stares, Cain makes the wise decision to walk his
battered ass out the door.
Cash locks the door behind him and strolls to his car. He unlocks the driver side door of his Bentley and
ces his things in the passenger seat before slipping into the cockpit.
Casper watches in the rearview mirror as Cain gets into his own vehicle. He takes his eyes off Cain to
look over at Karma, who is standing at his passenger side door. Her hand is poised on the door handle.
Cash lets down the window a sliver, just enough for her to hear him. "May I help you?"
"Open the door, Casper."
"Oh, no. He''s your ride." He gestures back at Cain sitting in his Jaguar, struggling to slip on his shoes
and hold the shirt to his bloody nose. "You prefer Cain''s ride over mine anyway."
She tugs on the door handle. "Casper, open the door."
"No. I''m going home." He shrugs. "You no longer live there."
"What?" Her bottom lip begins to tremble.
"I figured since you spent so little time there in the first ce, you wouldn''t miss it."Casper smiles with
every single one of his pristine white teeth. "I''m sure you two can find a nice hotel to spend the night.
Pleasant evening to you."
Casper taps a button, and the window slides closed again with a pop of finality. He pulls out his phone
and starts scrolling through a few new emails. As he relegates a slew of spam to his trash folder, he
feels her eyes on him. Cash allows an email boasting a product that will bring an end to erectile
dysfunction to borrow his attention. Karma stares at him another couple minutes, before slinking toward
Cain''s Jag.
He waits until his new two favorite enemies make their exit. Cash nces back at the house and
catches a glimpse of Ali observing from the window. He waves to her. She waves back at him, then
disappears behind the heavy curtains.
Casper pulls out of the driveway with a heavy heart. He didn''t have to bring this fight to Manali''s
doorstep. But he couldn''t sleep on it any longer. Couldn''t ignore his wifeing home smelling fresher
than a field of daisies at three in the morning. His breaking point had been breached, and all that
frustration needed somewhere to go. Ali and his nieces were unavoidable coteral damage.
He drives back to his empty house, fighting the images of his wife''s infidelity reying in his head on a
constant loop. To see her giving his brother that same look of satisfaction that she''s been denying him,
all but ripped out his battered and bruised heart.
His car is left to navigate itself. His mind is plodding its way through a private hell. It can''t be bothered
with mundane tasks like maneuvering a vehicle. Having been left to its own devices by its owner, the
Bentley takes a detour that leads Casper past SoHo Sugar. The cares to a stop outside the
bakery.
He stares up at the storefront with its pastel and cheery facade. The gravity of the istion that awaits
him at home weighs down his lids. He rests his forehead against the steering wheel. A sigh escapes
his lips, releasing with it every indignity he has ever suffered at Karma''s hands.
Then he feels a far more wee presence run her hand over his hair. She''s here. Of course, she is.
His mind''s eye projects her likeness whenever his sanity is teetering on the edge.
He doesn''t look up right away. He wants to rx in thefort of her touch for a moment. When he''s
ready to let go of her, he gazes into Arden''s bewitching brown eyes.
"What now," she asks. A faint smile rests on her lips.
He takes a deep breath and returns her serene look.
"I stop dreaming."