Karmic Desert: The Cheating Wife's Fatal Mistake

My parents were stranded in the middle of a blistering desert—no water, temperatures through the roof—while my wife, Michelle Reid, was three miles away building a splash park for her buddy Teddy Williams's dog.

By the time I found them, they had already died of thirst. Their bodies were decomposing in the sun.

I called Michelle, livid.

She brushed it off like it was nothing.

"I told you I was in a meeting. They're just lacking a little water. Relax."

Then she added, "If they're still alive, don't give them any water. Let Teddy 'stumble' onto them during his livestream—he can hand them a bottle on camera. It'll be great for his numbers."

She paused awhile before continuing, "And if they're already dead? Say Teddy found them. Makes his survivalist act look more legit."

I laughed—because every word out of her mouth was for Teddy.

But she didn't realize: the ones who died of thirst were her parents—my in-laws.

The bodies had just been bagged when Michelle Reid showed up with Teddy Williams.

They looked pristine—designer clothes, flawless skin, even Teddy's dog had a gleaming coat. A stark contrast to me, sun-scorched and cracked, after hours scrambling through the desert for my in-laws.

Michelle wore her usual sweet face, but her voice dripped with irritation.

"Your parents better be dead. Do you have any idea how hot it is out here? You dragged me all the way across town to bring them water. I'm always cleaning up your messes. What did I even marry you?"

My brain felt like it was detonating.

I'd taken an eight-hour flight, no rest, no break—rushed straight here to save her parents. I'd called her ninety-nine times before she finally picked up, and she hadn't even bothered to listen. She thought I was talking about my parents. And that's what came out of her mouth.

My face went dark. My voice was barely held together.

"Congratulations. They're dead."

Michelle followed my gaze to the body bags, then shifted awkwardly.

"I didn't mean to be late. I was really in a meeting..."

She actually looked like she was telling the truth with her sweet, wounded act.

I would've believed it too—if I hadn't seen Teddy's post.

A photo of Michelle, who'd never lifted a finger in her life, hauling steel panels under 140-degree heat. The caption read: [My boss loves me so much she built a splash park for my dog in the middle of the desert.]

Teddy stepped forward, looking like he was walking to his own execution.

"Look, man—I'm sorry for your loss. But you can't blame Michelle. She's been grinding for years, and she really couldn't step away from the water park project. The second you called, we dropped everything and came.

"If you need someone to blame, blame me. I'll take the fall. I'll die for it if I have to."

The more dramatic Teddy got, the more venom Michelle shot my way. She yanked him behind her like a mother bear.

"We brought the water you asked for. What more do you want? Who told your parents to wander into a desert in the middle of summer? They got themselves killed. That's on them.

"And if you so much as touch Teddy, I'll make your life a living hell."

Behind her, Teddy held up a bottle of yellow liquid, swishing it with a smirk.

"Sorry, man. Water's scarce out here. Best I could do."

He twisted the cap off. The heat did the rest—a wave of acrid stench hit the air.

That wasn't water. That was piss.

Michelle shrugged, unfazed.

"They're dead anyway. Even this is wasted on them. Let them do something useful for society one last time."

She pointed at the body bags. "Open them up. Leave them out in the sand. Teddy can go live right now—you show up a little late, play the grateful part, thank him for finding their bodies."

I didn't answer.

Michelle stepped closer, ready to push harder—but Teddy stopped her, tapping his phone screen.

"My stream's about to start..."

She shot me one last glare, furious.

I clenched my fists. The rage was white-hot.

The stream went live. Thousands poured in.

They walked toward the bodies. The stench of decay hit them like a wall.

Teddy gagged—actually forgot he was on camera—and dumped the whole bottle of urine right over the corpses.

"God, what is that smell? Here, drink that."

Michelle kicked one of the bodies. It rolled down the slope, where birds and scavengers descended, tearing at it.

She watched the remains get picked apart, a twisted satisfaction flickering across her face.

"Your parents died and still found a way to make our lives miserable. Pathetic. At least now the birds are doing the cleanup for us—saves me the trouble."

I laughed under my breath.

She still thought it was my parents.

I couldn't wait to see her face when she found out it was hers.