(Karen’s POV, Present Tense)

The night air bites at my skin as I run. My dress snags on the pavement, the lace tearing, but I don’t stop. I can’t. Every step feels like I’m escaping a nightmare that still clings to me like smoke.

By the time I reach my apartment, my feet ache, my makeup is ruined, and my heart feels like it’s been ripped out of my chest.

I slam the door shut behind me, locking it like that will keep the world out. But nothing can keep the voices away, Yasmin’s laugh, Dre’s silence, my mother’s betrayal. They all echo inside me, circling like vultures.

I sink onto the couch, pulling at the pins in my hair until they fall to the floor. My curls tumble loose, messy, heavy with the weight of everything I just lost.

This was supposed to be the happiest night of my life. Instead, it’s the night my world collapsed.

I bury my face in my hands. My chest heaves, but no tears come. I’m too drained, too hollow.

Then, knock. Knock.

I freeze. My heart skips.

No. Not him. Not now.

I drag myself up, my legs heavy, and peek through the peephole. My stomach twists when I see her.

Yasmin.

Of course.

I don’t open the door. I don’t even breathe.

Her voice floats through the wood, smooth, mocking. “I know you’re in there, Karen. Running away won’t change anything.”

I grit my teeth, stepping back. Silence. If I stay quiet, maybe she’ll leave.

But Yasmin doesn’t leave. She presses on. “You think Dre chose you tonight? He didn’t. He settled. He was always mine first. You can play wife in that white dress, but you’ll always be second best.”

My blood boils. My hands shake.

Before I can stop myself, I unlock the door and yank it open.

She stands there, perfectly composed, as if she didn’t just set my entire life on fire. Her red dress glows against the dim hallway light, her lips curved in a smirk.

“What do you want?” I snap, my voice raw.

Her gaze sweeps over me, from the ruined dress to my swollen eyes. “I wanted to see how fast you’d fall apart. Guess I don’t have to wonder anymore.”

I step into the doorway, blocking her from entering. “You got what you wanted. You ruined my wedding. Are you happy now?”

She tilts her head, pretending to think. “Not yet. I’ll be happy when Dre realizes he can’t survive without me. And he will.”

I laugh bitterly, though it comes out broken. “You left him. You broke him. Why can’t you just let go?”

Her eyes darken, her voice low and sharp. “Because I don’t lose to you, Karen. Not ever. Everything you touch, I’ll take back. Including him.”

Her words slice deeper than any slap. My fists clench, nails digging into my palms. “You’re pathetic.”

Her smirk widens. “Maybe. But I’m also unforgettable. That’s why Dre keeps coming back, even when he has you.”

The truth stings, but I refuse to flinch. “Leave, Yasmin. You’re not welcome here.”

For a moment, she just stares at me, her eyes cold, calculating. Then she leans close, her whisper brushing my ear. “This isn’t over. Not by a long shot.”

She turns and walks away, her heels clicking down the hall, leaving me shaking in the doorway.

I slam the door shut, locking it again. My body trembles, anger and fear twisting inside me. No matter where I go, she finds me. She won’t stop until I’m destroyed.

I press my forehead against the cool wood, my breath shallow. For a moment, I think I’ll collapse.

Then another knock comes.

My stomach drops. “No,” I whisper. Not again.

This time, when I look through the peephole, it’s him.

Dre.

His suit is rumpled, his tie undone, his face tight with exhaustion. He looks like a man who’s been fighting battles all night, and losing.

I don’t want to open the door. I don’t want to see him. But my hand betrays me, turning the lock, pulling it wide.

We stare at each other, silence stretching thick between us.

“Karen,” he says finally, his voice low, broken. “Please. Let me explain.”

The sight of him ignites every wound. My chest aches, my throat tightens, but my anger holds me upright. “Explain? You stood there while she humiliated me. You stood silent when I begged for the truth.”

His shoulders sag. “I didn’t want to make it worse.”

“Worse?” My laugh is bitter, sharp. “She says you still answer her calls. She says you still run back to her. And you said nothing.”

He steps forward, desperate, his hands outstretched. “Because I didn’t want to lie. Yes, I answered her. But not because I wanted her back. Because I thought if I ignored her, she’d find another way to destroy us. I was trying to protect you.”

Tears sting my eyes, but I blink them back. “Protect me? By hiding things? By keeping me in the dark while she tears my life apart?”

He flinches at my words, his jaw tightening. “I was wrong. I should’ve told you. But I swear to you, Karen, I don’t want her. I want you.”

The plea in his eyes nearly breaks me. But then I remember Yasmin’s whisper, her smirk, her cruel certainty.

“She says you’ll always come back to her,” I whisper. “Tell me she’s lying.”

He closes the space between us, his hands trembling as they cup my face. His eyes lock on mine, desperate, raw. “I will never go back to her. Never. You’re my future, Karen. Not Yasmin.”

My breath hitches. My heart wars against my head, wanting so badly to believe him, to fall into his arms and let him make the pain go away.

But Yasmin’s shadow looms too large.

I push his hands away, stepping back. “I can’t just take your word. Not after tonight. Not after everything she said.”

His face twists with hurt, but he nods slowly. “Then let me prove it. Whatever it takes, however long it takes. I’ll prove to you that you’re the only woman I want.”

The sincerity in his voice shakes me, but the fear in my chest is louder.

“Go home, Dre.” My voice cracks, but I force the words out. “I need space. I need… I need to breathe.”

For a long moment, he doesn’t move. His eyes search mine, like he’s trying to hold on to me with just a look. Then, finally, he steps back.

“Okay,” he whispers. “I’ll give you space. But I’m not giving up on us.”

He turns and walks down the hall, his footsteps heavy, his shoulders slumped. I watch until he disappears, the silence swallowing me whole.

I close the door and lean against it, my body trembling, my heart aching.

Alone in the quiet, I realize something terrifying.

No matter what Dre says, no matter how much he swears, Yasmin isn’t done.

And if I’m not careful, this war between us will destroy me.