
RICHARD
"Why? Dammit! Why?" I suddenly cried aloud, in a sudden burst of frustration as slammed my fists repeatedly on the steering wheel.A horn blared, and I turned to see a driver on the other lane give me a curious look. I stared at the road ahead, my hands gripping the steering wheel tightly as I drove home. My mind was in a whirl. I glanced at the passenger seat on which were two sheets of paper. The first sheet of was the result of the X-ray I had just done at the hospital. It showed the cancer was spreading really fast. I needed chemotherapy as a matter of urgency. But the cost...I shook my head. At the bottom of the second sheet of paper, the cost of the chemotherapy was written in bold font. It was a sum I could never afford, certainly not with the job I had. My wife refused to support me in footing the bill in any way. I was at a dead end, and would be a dead man if I could figure a way out.Finally, I got home. I walked into the cool, air conditioned comfort of the house and mopped my sweaty brow. I was heading to the kitchen to get something that would calm my aching head when two items on the other sofa caught my attention- a handbag I recognized as Amelia's, and a man's jacket lying close to it. Did we have a visitor?I headed to our bedroom, stopped short when I heard... odd sounds coming from behind the closed door. I pushed open the door, stood stock still with my mouth agape. There, on our matrimonial bed was Amelia, completely naked, with her lips glued to that of an equally naked man."AMELIA!" I bellowed.They sprang apart immediately. Her big, blue eyes opened wide. When she saw who it was, her shocked expression became one of contempt."What are you doing back here so early?" she sneered.I was paralyzed with shock. I couldn't speak, just shook my head. Surely, this had to be some bad dream. This couldn't be happening. With a muttered oath, the man hurried over to the side of the bed, pulled on his trousers."Can't someone get a little privacy around here?" he growled, zipping up his fly. “Who is that?”She gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, James. That’s my wretched husband, Richard, that I was telling you about. I wasn't expecting him back so early.""You're sorry?" I shouted, finally breaking free of my paralysis. "Amelia! I caught you screwing another man, and you're apologizing to him? Have you no shame? Have you no-""Oh shut up!" Amelia languidly reached for a robe hanging on the headboard and slipped out."You're the one who should be ashamed," she shot back. "Are you even a man? You don't have a decent job and you can't take care of me. You can't foot a measly quarter of my bills. Hell! You can't even afford to treat your sick self-"I balled my fists. "Shut up and tell this bastard to get out of my house."Amelia and James exchanged a look and laughed."Your house?" Amelia wiped tears of laughter from her eyes. "I think the cancer has knocked a few screws loose from that thing you call a brain. Need I remind you that this is my parent's house? You haven't even been able to afford a decent apartment since you married me. And as for James-" She gave her lover a salacious grin. "-He is twice the man you'll ever be-""That's right." James stood up, drew himself up to all six feet of his height. "A man like you who cannot provide for his woman, has no absolute rights over her body. Now, beat it, buster."I had never been a violent man, but at this point, I would gladly have torn James apart with my bare hands. With a snarl of rage, I ran at him and lunged, striking out with my fists. I gave a savage cry of triumph when my fist connected with his jaw. He gave me several jabs to my ribs, but I kept hitting him relentlessly.Suddenly, something hit the back of my head and I went down as if I had been poleaxed. I lay there, stunned, staring up at James and Amelia."You hit me," I croaked.She waved the heavy reading lamp she had used to hit me threateningly. "And I'll do it again."James pressed his phone to his ear, moved away and spoke rapidly into it. In a couple of minutes, two security guards burst into the room just as I was trying to get to my feet."Take this piece of trash and throw him out of the house," James barked."And if I see him in this house ever again, you'll both loose your jobs," Amelia added.The security guards nodded, swooped down and grabbed me roughly by the arms."Let go of me," I yelled, struggling in their grip. "Get your hands off me. You can't do this.""Just did." Amelia smirked.Before the guards dragged me out of the room, James slid an arm around Amelia's waist and began to lead her to the bed. My strength was no match for the guards. They dumped me on my ass outside the mansion and shut the gates in my face. Beside myself with anger, I pounded, and kept pounding on the gates."You'll pay for this, Amelia," I raved. "I swear it. You won't get away with cheating on me. Somehow, someway, I'll get back at you for this."I stopped when my hands were sore with pounding and my throat was sore with screaming. I turned to leave when I suddenly heard a loud buzzing. I gasped, looked around for the source of the sound. It took me a few seconds to realize that the sound was coming from inside my head. It grew louder with each passing second, and I felt as if my skull was about to burst open. I clapped my hands to my ear and sank onto my knees."Make it stop! Make it stop!" I screamed.Underneath the buzzing, were sounds of several clicks and beeps.“New User Detected. System Activated.” I heard just before I passed out on the ground.
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CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY-TWO
RICHARD’S POV—THREE YEARS LATER I ran around the living room, chasing our twins in some endless game of tag. They were shrieking with laughter, little feet pounding on the floor, and honestly, it was the best sound in the world. But just as I made a playful grab for them, Amelia walked in with a tray of biscuits and gave me one of her classic mom-glares.“Really, Richard?” she said, exasperated but trying not to smile. “If you keep chasing them like that, they’re going to fall. And then who’s getting up at night with them when they’re crying? Not me, that’s for sure.”I stopped in my tracks and threw my hands up in surrender. “Alright, alright! You win. Kids, you heard your mother. Grab a biscuit and calm down, alright? Before we all get grounded.”The twins scrambled toward the tray, wide-eyed and hungry like they hadn’t just had breakfast an hour ago. Amelia rolled her eyes at me, handing the kids each a biscuit before turning her gaze on me.“No biscuit for you, mister,” she tease
CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY-ONE
RICHARD’S POVI sat there, tapping my foot against the cold tile, waiting for the doctor to come in. Amelia was beside me, looking exhausted from my dragging her here yet again. But we were here, and I’d finally get some peace of mind.The door opened, and Dr. Geller strolled in, looking... oddly cheerful. He scanned his clipboard before smiling at both of us. “Well,” he said, “I’ve got some news that I think you’re going to like.”Amelia glanced at me, raising an eyebrow. “He didn’t find anything, right? See, I told you, Richard…”“No, no,” Dr. Geller cut in, chuckling. “Nothing bad. Quite the opposite, actually.”I held my breath, narrowing my eyes at him. “Spit it out, Doc. I don’t do suspense.”He grinned, finally setting down the clipboard. “Amelia, congratulations. You’re pregnant. Again.”For a split second, I thought he was joking. But then it hit me like a tidal wave, and I shot to my feet. “Are you serious?!” I practically yelled, and probably looked like a lunatic, but I di
CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY
RICHARD’S POV—THREE WEEKS LATER Arriving home with the bouquet in one hand and Amelia’s favorite snacks in the other, I hoped today would lift her spirits, even a little. She hadn’t been herself since...well, since the loss. Three weeks, and yet it felt like everything had been hollowed out.As soon as I opened the door, the tense vibe hit me like a wall. Amelia was sitting there on the couch, pale but trying to keep calm, while her grandmother loomed over her with that steely look. The minute she spotted me, her eyes narrowed like she’d been waiting for this.“Richard,” she spat, voice low and biting, “this is all on you. You should have done better. Protected her, watched out for her—”“Enough,” I cut in, barely keeping my voice steady. I didn’t want a scene, not in front of Amelia. But I couldn’t just let this go. “If you’re going to blame someone, find a mirror.”Her face twisted, anger flaring up, and for a second I thought she’d come closer. “How dare you,” she snapped. “How da
CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE
RICHARD’S POVDinner was quiet tonight. Too quiet. Amelia had barely touched her food, just pushing it around on her plate with this distant look in her eyes. I asked her if she was alright, and she’d just given me a tired smile and said she was fine. But something didn’t sit right. Still, I let it go, figuring she’d open up when she was ready.Upstairs, I lay on the bed waiting while she went into the bathroom. She closed the door behind her, and I stretched out, hands behind my head, staring up at the ceiling. The day had been long, and I was looking forward to nothing more than a quiet evening with her, maybe watch some dumb movie and unwind.But then I heard it—a loud voice cutting through the silence, sharp and strained. It was Amelia. A cry, filled with pain.I sat up so fast, my heart instantly in my throat. “Amelia?” I called, already on my feet and moving towards the door. There was no answer, only a muffled groan that sent my pulse skyrocketing.“Amelia, are you okay?” I ask
CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT
RICHARD’S POVAmelia stared at me, her arms crossed, her eyes hard. I knew that look. It wasn't good.“He deserves whatever he's getting. Richard. You know that, right?"Her words hit me like a slap. I frowned, trying to keep calm. “Amelia, come on. He's still my brother. I know he messed up, but he's still family.” She shook her head, almost scoffing. "So what? Family doesn't mean you get a free pass to be a complete asshole and try to ruin someone's life.”I sighed, leaning back against the chair. "I'm not saying he should get a free pass. l'm just saying.. maybe he did what he did out of anger, or resentment, or-""Maybe?!" she cut me off, her voice rising. “Richard, he tried to kill you. He tied me up and used me as bait! I don't care if he was angry or resentful, that doesn't give him a damn excuse to behave like a psychopath!”I winced at her words. She wasn't wrong, but still… “Look, I know he crossed the line. A million times over. But people do stupid things when they're des
CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN
RICHARD’S POV I froze, my breath catching in my throat as the bang reverberated through the room. For a second, everything was still. Silent. I looked down. Blood. Not mine. William gasped, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at the wound in his side. The gun slipped from his hand, clattering uselessly to the floor. I stumbled back, hands slick with blood, heart pounding so hard it felt like it was about to explode. The sound of the gunshot kept echoing in my ears like a bad dream, but this wasn’t a dream. William—my brother—was bleeding out on the floor. “Shit,” I gasped, rushing toward him. “Will… Goddamn it, stay with me!” His face was pale, eyes half-closed as he struggled to breathe. Blood poured from his side, seeping through my fingers as I pressed down hard. Too hard. It didn’t matter. “You’re gonna be fine. Hear me? You’re gonna be fine. Just hold on.” He coughed, a weak, bitter laugh escaping his lips. “Richard… you always… always screw things up, don’t you?” “Shut
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