It's in the Cards

Luna Smith was a famous tarot reader. When Dean Stark and I were going to register our marriage, she flashed three cards, saying that marrying this day would ruin his destiny and fortunes. Dean promptly called it off, and told me to wait a couple of days… which ended up being five years. When I got pregnant, she said that the child would be a jinx to its father, and I was hence forced to get an abortion… on four different occasions. When my mother was diagnosed with liver cancer, I begged Dean for $200,000 on my knees. Even before Dean said a word, Luna frowned and said, "Your mother and her family are jinxed. If the money changes hands, Dean's career will be over." Dean sighed as he pushed me away. "Death is inevitable. Just accept it." I finally went hysterical, but Luna slapped me across the face. "You're being hounded by jinxes. That's why things aren't going well for Dean lately!" Then, blushing as she turned to Dean, she said, "Just sleep with me once, and let your male vigor erupt to blow away the jinxes. That's the only way." Everyone else promptly told me to be understanding and think of the big picture, while Dean himself said, "I swear—this will happen only once, and I will close my eyes the whole time. "We will marry once it's over. You've waited a long time for this, right?" Hence, he scooped Luna up in his arms and strode into our bedroom. As everyone else laughed and cheered, I quietly left and took out my phone, texting the famous demon king ruling the city, "We should register our marriage today, as it says in the cards. Are you coming?" Chapter 1 With the forms filled and signed, our photos taken, Yorick and I stepped out of the civil bureau. My phone then rang. It was Dean, chuckling and grunting in satisfaction. "Are you jealous? Running off without a word." I turned towards Yorick, busy watching him as he arranged my mother's surgery. "Don't be so petty," Dean was still gloating on the other end. "Luna offered her chastity to improve my fortune. Once I'm rich, the money's all yours anyway—in the end, we are all doing this for you." For me. My heart stung, even as Dean's buddies laughed rowdily on the other end. "Hey, Sue! Dean's such a gentleman that he kept his hands tied the whole time!" "He left as soon as he was done, leaving Luna alone in bed while he called to comfort you. He's really the perfect husband!" "Come on, tell her! Did you ever touch Luna inappropriately?" Dean snorted. "Of course not—why would I? She's a bro." Suddenly, her phone was snatched away, and Luna purred, "Hey, Sue. Can I borrow your pajamas? Dean was so savage that he shredded all my clothes." My fingers clenched on my phone as I replied without hesitation, "No." However, she simply giggled. "Are you jealous? You know that I'm a tarot reader—what you call intimacy is just a ritual to me. Don't worry, I'm not interested in a brute like Dean…" Smack! She yelped and huffed as Dean slapped her audibly on the rump, laughing, "You call that violent? Just you wait—I'll show you real violence!" Then, taking back his phone, he said mildly, "Alright, you can come home now and clean up the bedroom. Then ask Luna to divine your fortune—if everything is right, we can register our marriage tomorrow." Chapter 2 And with that, Dean hung up. When I got home, however, there was no one else around—only an utter mess in the bedroom, with a box of empty condoms. I felt utterly sick and quickly collected all my personal documents and credentials. Anything else didn't matter—it was all filth now. Still, Dean just happened to return, and leaned in for a kiss. When I turned my face away, he snorted and reached for my nape, speaking like he was talking about the weather, "Still jealous, sourpuss? Luna did say you're a jinx, so the marriage registration will have to wait until next month." I stood there, feeling weary in body and soul. This was the seventeenth time in five years. The first time, Luna flashed three tarot cards, saying that marrying this day would ruin his destiny and fortune, and he promptly called it off. The second time, he never showed up, even as I waited in my wedding gown. Luna then told me I had committed too much evil, and must eat vegan the whole year to bring good fortune. So I didn't eat any meat—even eggs—for a year, leaving me malnourished. My periods never came, and I passed out as many as seven times. When that was over, she insisted that the geomancy of my maternal family's graves brought bad luck, and would affect Dean's company when it made an IPO. I hence begged relatives on my knees to move their graves, and the entire family turned against me—even Mom was crying on the phone, asking if I lost my mind. The sixteenth time Dean and I tried to get registered, we just filled the forms when Luna ran in, screaming and tearing the papers into pieces. Then, pointing at my face, she cried out, saying that I was possessed by a leech that would drain the Stark family's fortune dry, before passing out. Dean promptly scooped her up in his arms and rushed for the hospital, leaving me standing there like a fool. "Don't worry about it," I cut him short quietly. "I've already registered." Dean was popping open a beer as he chuckled. "How? I never went with you." "I went with someone else," I replied. He simply sighed, shaking his head. "Alright, I get it—you're jealous. But quit with that nonsense already. Hell, you'd kill yourself if I told you to marry someone else." I watched him quietly as I took the documents out of my handbag. When I held it out to him, he smacked it away, leaving my hand red as everything dropped on the floor. He glanced at it. "Huh, you really went out of your way to fake a marriage certificate? How much was it? It almost looked like the real deal… Just stop it already. I'll definitely marry you next month." My chest swelled with rage as I glared at him, snarling slowly and clearly, "You still think I'd cling to you after what you and Luna Smith did?!" Dean didn't answer, but he kept his head down, his face paling. That was when his phone rang, and Luna was crying on the other end, "It's all your fault! You were so rough, I'm at the hospital now…" He didn't hesitate to turn and leave immediately. I stopped him, however. "You built your company with a million from my family—" He shoved me off right then, his temple veins bulging as he snapped, "Can you stop?! It was Luna's first time! She's scared!" Chapter 3 Five years ago, my father received $30,000 in compensation for a work injury. As soon as Dean found out, he told me he was starting a company. Even that $30,000 wasn't enough for him, and I had to sell my old house too and gather another $70,000. He held me then, nestling his face against my neck as he sobbed, promising to return everything to me when he got rich. Now, five years later, my mom was diagnosed with liver cancer, and I asked him for $20,000, only for him to tell me that aging and death were inevitable. I rented an apartment near the hospital after I left, so that I could better take care of my mother in the future. I was just unpacking when my phone rang. It was Mrs. Stark, Dean's mother. And she clearly sounded unhappy. "Why aren't you here for my massage? My hips are going to snap. Get over here already… Also, I keep waking up at night for days now, so you're staying over too. It's high time you clean this place…" Every morning at 5am, I would go to her home to cook breakfast for her, and return in the evening to wash her feet and manicure, staying on my knees the whole time. Her hip was always sore, so I learned massage. But after doing it for three hours every day, even my fingers had become disjointed. I always thought I was doing my part while Dean worked hard to make money, only for Mrs. Stark to treat me like her housemaid. So I cut her short, "Dean and I are breaking up. If you have any problems, take it up with him." There was stunned silence on the other end, but Mrs. Stark soon bellowed, "Breaking up?! Have you lost your mind?! With your rotten womb, who else would take you in other than my son?!" My fingers clenched around my phone, but I didn't argue and simply hung up. Soon, Dean sent me voice messages. "Luna is having a stomach ache and wants your chicken soup. Start cooking—I want it at the hospital in two hours." "Answer me. What, are you deaf?" "What's the point of getting jealous? Luna's at the hospital." I never replied, as I was busy checking out my wedding venue with Yorick. - There were dozens of missed calls and over forty messages from Dean on my phone when I woke up the next day, The last one read: [Come home. We need to talk.] When I entered the front door, Dean, Luna, and Mrs. Stark were on the couch, with Dean springing to his feet. Pointing at Mrs. Stark, his chest heaved as he hollered, "Why didn't you take care of Mom last night?! She fell when she went to the toilet, and broke a bone! You call yourself her daughter-in-law?!" Mrs. Stark shrugged, her tone shrill and sarcastic. "Oh, but I'm not presumptuous to ask for some big-shot heiress to take care of me. I was just unlucky—I deserved it." Dean turned back to me, growling slowly and clearly, "Throw tantrums all you like—I don't mind playing along if I'm in the mood. But know your limits, because I won't tolerate it when you drag my mother into this!" I looked at him calmly. "I'm breaking up with you. So return me the hundred grand I gave you to start your business, and we don't owe each other anything." The living room turned dead silent—even Dean was stunned. Still, Luna soon burst out laughing. "So all that drama was for money? You could have said it outright. Why bother running in circles?" Dean's expression visibly calmed too, and he sighed in exasperation as if dealing with a naughty child. "Just tell me what you want—I'll get it for you. But you're a woman, and you won't need money for anything." He kept saying the same thing for five years, which was why I always went penniless. Even buying ingredients and sanitary pads required his approval. My head throbbed so much it hurt. "Did you give me the $20,000 I asked for because of my mother's illness?" Luna sighed out loud. "Don't you get it? I made a divination, but she's committed too much evil. It's time she died—" I slapped her across the face right then. Chapter 4 Luna clutched her cheek and screamed, and Dean promptly shielded her in his arms and looked at me with an eerie glare. I then felt a thud—Mrs. Stark had thrown her teacup on my head. "Apologize right now, Sue Graham!" She hollered. "Luna has always been our lucky star! That's how our family became so successful! "As for you—what have you done other than leech off my son?! Sure, you gave him some money before, but that doesn't mean we are your slaves, or have to suffer your tantrums!" I didn't wipe the blood trickling down my temples, as I kept staring at Dean. "Give me my money, or I'll sue." Dean closed his eyes and sighed in pain. "You really disappoint me, Sue. You ask for $20,000 outright, but have you considered my standpoint? Have you not thought about how hard it is to get that money? You've been a housewife too long to understand how difficult life can be." I laughed—$20,000 was difficult? Pointing at Luna's handbag, I asked, "That's new, isn't it? The official retail price was $68,000." Dean scowled impatiently right then. "How is that the same?" I nodded. "Right, my mom's life is worth less than Luna's handbag." Dean scowled further. "Are you done?!" Luna suddenly stopped right then, and threw three tarot cards on the table as she shrieked, "Oh, no! Her jinx is getting worse—it was swirling around her, but now it flowed into her body! Dean, you have to make her fast for three days, or your career is over!" Dean's face dropped as he leapt up and grabbed my wrist. "Be good, Sue. This stuff is no joke." I struggled, but Luna went up to grab me by my hair. "It's for the family. Just bear with it." With that, I was shoved into the storeroom, my head hitting a steel shelf edge painfully. The door then slammed shut as the keys jingled, while Dean said outside, "Just three days, Dean. Three days, and I'll let you out." Almost losing my mind, I smacked the door violently, only for the door to soon be locked audibly from the outside. I hence turned, grabbing the junk around the room and smashed it at the window. Crash! It was the third floor and there was an awning underneath. I gritted my teeth as I braced myself and jumped, hearing the crunch of my own bones as I crashed through the awning. People heard the crash and ran over, and quickly tried to call for help. However, Dean bellowed, "Don't call the cops!" He shoved his way through the crowd, and slapped me across the face. "Have you lost your mind?!" My head was sent sideways, and he suddenly held me fiercely, his body trembling. "It's the third floor! Are you trying to give me a heart attack, jumping from that high?! Don't ever do it again!" Luna was right behind him, telling the crowd, "They're my friends. It's just a little family squabble, don't call the cops." Turning to me, she sighed. "The way you ran, Sue… People would think you're having an affair if they didn't know better." Dean glowered as he heard her. "You're being really difficult, Sue. That's why you will be grounded again for five days instead of three… Or until you learn when to behave." Before he finished, over a dozen black vehicles came crashing into the apartment compound, every door opening at the same time. A deathly silence ensued, and Dean paled. "Who are you people—" Even before he could finish, a man alighted from the Cullinan up front, flanked by his legion of bodyguards. His visage was cold as ice as he strode up to me, gathering me in his arms without hesitation. Dean's eyes were wide with rage. "That's my wife—" "No, she's mine." Yorick's tone was icy as he turned, his assistant promptly flashing our marriage certificate. "Mr. Dean Stark, I have contacted the police and my legal team, as you held my wife against her will, inflicted bodily harm, and forced her to jump off a building. You and your family are done."