Chapter 1

Mason lay down on his creaky bed looking drained out. He feels his throat burning up and his stomach is turning up consistently. His temperature is rising every minute and he knows he has to do something. 

The stairs thumped loudly which indicates someone is passing by. Mason is living under the stairs as his wife and her mother have made it formidable for him to have a room in the house. 

Whenever they know he is home and in his room, they thump loudly on the stairs to disturb him. And Mason has no balls to talk.

"You lazy jerk! Won't you go to work today?" His wife, Bella's voice rang out loud with hatred visible in her tone. 

Mason stands up in fright. His stomach makes a loud noise yet again and he knows he can't go to work this way. He feels he will pass out if he goes to work, untreated. But he has no cash with him. How is he going to get out of this predicament? 

When everything died down, he stood up and opened his door slowly, making his way to the living room. He sees Bella and her mother, Stella in the sitting room whispering among each other. 

Mason stands at the passage and on the way as he looks at them with hatred and regret. He regretted ever impregnating Bella which led to her being his wife. His unloving wife. 

Bella has never loved Mason but Mason has always loved her, she has always been her crush but he knows Bella will never accept him with his status. 

So he used all his savings to treat himself up and get good clothes. His handsomeness helps and he did look like a Hot Billionaire CEO. 

He approached her and they made out instantly as Bella had no shame in her. She thought she had hit a jackpot and was so proud of herself. When Bella knew Mason wasn't who he portrayed himself to be in front of her, she already got pregnant and that destabilized her. 

Her mother who was already proud of her knew about the truth and developed immense hatred for Mason. They made sure he married her and now, they are living under his roof while treating him with disregard. 

Mason regrets ever meeting up with Bella, he should have just crushed on her from a distance but taking it up close destroys him and now he wishes he gets his life back, his freedom to live where he doesn't feel intimidated in his own house. 

"Oh, he's here. We were just talking about you." Bella said, looking at him with disgust. 

"Won't you go to work, you poor jerk." Stella screamed at him. Mason knows he has no choice but to beg so he goes for it. He crawled towards them and held Stella's feet as he knows she is the queen and controls her daughter.

"Stella, I'm feeling so sick today. Can I get some dollars from you to treat myself." He begged. Laughter erupts from the both of them, a mocking one. 

"Get your hands off me." Stella flinged his hands away and moved away from him. "You stink!" She added. 

"Please, I'm really sick. I need to get treated." Mason begged not minding their words and mockery. 

"I can't spend my Dollars on you because you don't worth it, Mason." Stella said to him. Mason felt his stomach turning up again. It hurts! It hurts so much that he wants to cry but he holds it. He can't cry now, not in front of them. 

"You hear that, we can't spend our dollar on you so sort yourself out. You better go to work today. I need money." Bella said to him. 

Their dollar? They spend his money. The money he gets from working goes to them and they dare to say their dollar? How can they? 

"While going to work, you can beg on the way. Some people will pity you and you may get to see some wretched people like you. They will love to hear your story and help you." Bella said mockingly once again. His life had become more wretched when they invaded it. Now, he is beginning to suspect whether that child was really his. He was doing okay even though he was poor but when they came into it, they ripped him off everything. 

"Bella!" He called, turning towards her. Mason knows Bella never loved him. She gave in to him because she thought he was rich, a big catch. But she was so disappointed when he knew who he really was. And as Bella looks at Mason with hatred, she feels like strangling him. How can he? 

Her, a beautiful maiden which every guy comes for to mingle with ends up with him. How did she make such a huge mistake? He was really handsome when he met him and that was because he got dressed properly. But now, looking at him with his tattered cloth, she can't see an ounce of the beauty she saw or he had. 

He looks poor and wretched that his poor status had covered up his beauty. No one would look twice to check whether he was cool or not. Not with his status and his dressing. 

"I can't go to work this way. Please let me get treated." He added. Bella stares at him with disdain and wishes she can kill him with her stare but she knows it's impossible. 

"Are you deaf?" Bella screamed at him. "Or has your poorness deafened you?" She asked nonchalantly. 

"Get out of here and get to work. Listen Mason, I need money at the end of this month. You can't affect me with your wretchedness." She said with contempt and stood up hastily. "Your sight irritates me." She added and pushed him out of the way, heading to her room. 

Stella laughed out loud and eyed him vigorously. "Your sight irritates me too, Mason. You should look at yourself in the mirror. Anyone would be irritated by you. You know where it suits you? This house doesn't. The street suits you. The streets, with your others." Stella spat out at him. 

Mason feels hurt. His pride and ego is bruised, it has always been bruised and it feels nothing to him but today, he was sick and they couldn't spare him some dollars.    

Mason stands up dejectedly and walks out of the house with frustration. He has to find a way to get treated or he will die. And if he dies, no one will care. Absolutely no one. His death will be in vain and that's not what he wants for himself. 

His stomach stings in pain and he holds it tightly.

"I have to get treated." He said in a cracked voice and made his way into the neighborhood.