A Man Called Revenge

Chapter 2: Kneel

  Gary’s knees became even weaker. Truth be told, he had not expected his wife to refuse her mother’s command. Madam Ann was a ruthless woman, and disobeying her had no sweet end.

 He just did not believe that Evelyn would say it so easily, so comfortably, as if he meant nothing to her, as if what they shared meant nothing to her.

 “Do it, Gary, and do not make this night any worse. You have caused me too many troubles in my life already!” Evelyn added, making sure her message was passed on loud and clear.

 Evelyn hugged herself tighter, eyes darting away—like she cared, or maybe just didn’t.

 Gary was not a mad dog who would attack someone simply for touching his wife. It went deeper. He had seen this Kage of a varmint smooch his wife in her bedroom one time. It cut his heart. When he confronted Evelyn, she said they were simply having a good time and that no strings were attached.

 Gary despised Kage with every fibre of his being. He was a simp, a pecker-head and a good-for-nothing millionaire who had the IQ of an Ostrich. And in reciprocation, Kage also despised Gary.

 Gary’s eyes burned into hers, a scream clawing up his throat. But her stare—cold, empty—shoved it back down. Left with no choice, he dropped to his knees, hating himself for it. 

 Gary’s fists twitched, nails biting deeper, as he pictured Kage’s smug neck snapping under his hands.

 Kage got up and began to take slow, steady steps to Gary, making sure his $4 million Richard Mille wristwatch and his custom-made Italian leather shoes caught the light. Every step was a statement—I own you.

 He stopped right in front of Gary, looming over him like a god looking down on a mere insect. He grinned. Not just any grin—the kind that made your stomach twist, the kind that reeked of arrogance, of a man who had won before the game even started.

 “Good boy,” Kage sneered, tilting his head. “I guess you do know your place after all.”

 The crowd chuckled. Some tried to mask it, others didn’t bother. To them, this was just another chapter in The Miserable Life of Gary Wang.

 Madam Ann folded her arms, nodding in approval. “See? That wasn’t so hard, was it? Maybe if you were always this obedient, we wouldn’t have so many problems.”

 Evelyn, however, said nothing. Her arms were wrapped around herself, her face unreadable. But Gary didn’t need to read her face—her words had already carved themselves deep into his bones.

 He clenched his fists. His nails dug into his palms, his breathing ragged. Not because of the humiliation. Not because of the laughter. Not even because of the slap.

 But because his wife, whom he loved, whom he donated half the blood in his body for, now had his back against the wall, shoving a knife to his windpipe. And she was slowly cutting through. 

 “Now, go into your room and do not come out until we are done with this party. I do not want to see anything that will disgust me and spoil my mood anymore!” Madam Ann ordered, and the whole family watched as Gary lowered his head and walked out of the living room in shame. 

 But one thing was certain, he had shown Kage that he was not afraid of him. Keeling before Kage was humiliating and he only did it because he had no choice. But Kage, Kage still remained a douche-bag to him, a nemesis whose brain was in a cage.

 As soon as Gary was all alone in his room, he strolled slowly towards his hard bed and lay down, his body feeling heavier than ever. His ears still rang with their laughter, their mockery, their complete and utter dismissal of him as a human being. He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms until pain forced him to release.

 This wasn’t the first time. It wouldn’t be the last. His room was a mess, just like the thoughts in his head. He had work papers, a few clothes, and other stuff lying around in his room. Gary was not a messy person. But he saw no need to keep his room clean. 

 “Why live a fake life? What’s the point of having a clean room but a messy life?” He would ask. 

 He exhaled sharply, staring at the ceiling, his jaw tensed. He could still feel the sting of Madam Ann’s slap, the weight of Evelyn’s words pressing on his chest like a stone weighing 5 tons. 

 “You have caused me too many troubles in my life already.”

 Gary scoffed, the sound dry and humorless. What troubles?

 Had he not been the one who endured the humiliation, the taunts, the endless commands like a lowly servant? Had he not swallowed every insult just to keep the peace? Had he not stayed when every fiber of his being screamed at him to walk away?

 He loved her—God help him, he did—even if it was a lie he told himself to keep breathing. She hadn’t left him yet, and that was enough. For now. She was making a fool out of him because he loved her. This was diminishing and heart-wrenching.

 He ran a hand down his face. If there was a God, Gary thought, then that God must definitely hate him. 

 Gary pulled out his laptop and began working. He received an Email notification. 

 ‘Congratulations, Mr. Gary Wang! You have been selected for the job. Your interview has been scheduled for 8 am tomorrow morning. Absence denotes dismissal and termination!’

 Gary jumped up for joy. He had finally gotten accepted. He had been applying for the position of cashier in The Sun Group company for many weeks. And finally, he was getting invited for an interview. 

 This spiced things up for Gary. He had expected his night to end as usual. Sad, depressing, and humiliating. But he was finally going to prove to the Lacanster family that he was also a useful vessel deserving of their daughter, Evelyn. 

 He’d expected another night of misery, but this? This was fuel. He loved her—enough to die for her. He just wished she felt a damn thing back. But he knew better than to hope. Their marriage wasn’t love—it was payback for his grandma’s hospital bills, a debt so big it’d take years to clear.

 His phone rang, shattering his thoughts. Zenith Care Hospital. His grandmother.

 “Hello, Doc. Sam, how is she doing? Any improvement?” Gary was quick to speak. His grandmother meant everything to him. 

 “Gary, you need to come down here, now!” The doctor spiked in an alarming tone. 

 “Wh… what is going on, Doc? Is there a problem?” Gary stood up from his seat to respond. 

 “Yes, Gary. Of course there is a fucking problem. Your grandmother just had a severe silent blood clot and is now suffering from heart failure! If you do not get your ass down here in 20 minutes, she could die! The ball is in your court!”