Chapter 1

When my wife, Whitney Novak, abandoned me on the mountaintop once again to rush off and take care of my younger brother, Aaron Novak, I was kidnapped on my way home.

For three days and three nights, I endured unimaginable torture.

The one call I managed to make for help was coldly hung up on.

The day I finally dragged myself home, battered and covered in wounds, my family was celebrating Aaron's latest achievement.

Whitney frowned in irritation.

"Today's supposed to be a celebration. Who are you trying to disgust by showing up looking like that? Are you trying to make everyone think we've been abusing you?"

My family looked at me with nothing but contempt.

"You're worthless. You'll never measure up to Aaron. It should've been you who died instead."

Later, they got exactly what they wanted.

I really was dying.

But if I was nothing more than a worthless failure, why were they crying?

Chapter 1

Squeal!

The screech of brakes split the air.

The next second, I was shoved out of a van and slammed onto the pavement.

"If you go to the cops, I'll leak every one of those filthy photos. Let's see what everyone thinks of the great August Novak then."

The van sped away before I could even react.

I struggled to my feet, every inch of me screaming in pain. Bruised, battered, and deathly pale, I limped home one agonizing step at a time.

The moment I opened the front door, the piano music stopped. Everyone was dressed in formal attire, champagne glasses in hand. Every pair of eyes turned toward me, filled with scrutiny.

For a split second, I was back in that nightmare, surrounded by those greasy, leering stares.

Instinctively, I staggered backward. My face drained of color. Cold sweat beaded across my forehead, and my entire body shook uncontrollably.

Through my haze, I saw my wife, Whitney Novak, walking toward me. The instant she touched me, I dropped into a crouch, clutching my head as panic ripped through me.

"Don't touch me... Please... don't touch me..."

Whispers spread through the room.

Whitney's face darkened. Ignoring my trembling, she grabbed my wrist and dragged me upstairs.

I stumbled after her. The skin on that very wrist had been burned away just two days earlier. The searing pain forced a sharp gasp from my lips and brought a sliver of clarity back to my mind.

Downstairs, I heard my mother, Maddison Novak, apologizing, "I'm so sorry, everyone. My oldest son, August, loves putting on a show. He's been nothing but trouble his whole life. Unlike Aaron. To celebrate Aaron winning first prize today, we..."

My mind went blank.

I couldn't hear another word. So this was Aaron's celebration party.

The moment we entered the bedroom, Whitney slapped me across the face. Her eyes blazed with anger.

"August Novak! What the hell are you trying to pull, showing up looking like this on such an important day? Are you trying to make everyone think we've been abusing you?"

"Whitney... I was kidnapped..."

She let out a mocking laugh. "Kidnapped? How convenient that they just happened to release you today. What, did you keep them happy for three whole days? They didn't even bother asking for ransom."

The words lodged in my throat.

The phrase "keep them happy" echoed over and over inside my head.

The memories I'd desperately tried to bury crashed back all at once, threatening to shatter the last fragments of my sanity.

My fists clenched so tightly my nails dug into my palms. My breathing turned ragged, and my entire body trembled.

Whitney seemed to notice something was wrong. She frowned.

"What's gotten into you?"

My eyes turned bloodshot as I looked at her, my lips trembling.

I wanted to tell her that after she'd abandoned me on that mountaintop, I'd been kidnapped.

I longed to tell her that for three endless days, I'd lived through hell.

I yearned to tell her that the only reason I'd survived was that I kept believing I'd see her again.

Just as I was about to speak, Aaron's voice interrupted, "Whitney, don't blame August. It's my fault for being so weak. I've only driven a wedge between you two. If he's upset with me, I understand. It's only a celebration."

The tenderness that had briefly surfaced in Whitney's eyes vanished without a trace. She hurried to Aaron's side, helping him to his feet before sneering at me.

"You treat him like your brother, but don't expect him to think of you the same way. Otherwise, why would he choose today of all days to come back?"

Before I could respond, my mother stormed into the room. Her hand slapped across my face.

"You worthless piece of trash! Why couldn't you have just died out there? Do you have any idea how close you came to ruining Aaron's celebration?

"All you've ever done is disgrace this family! You'll never be half the man Aaron is! If only you were the one with the heart condition instead!"

I slowly collapsed onto the floor.

By now, I'd grown numb to her insults.

Chapter 2

I'd lost count of how many times I'd heard those words since I was rescued from child traffickers at the age of seven.

Back then, I'd thrown myself into practicing the piano, day and night, hoping for a single word of approval from my mother.

Instead, she'd looked at my trembling fingers with nothing but disdain.

"Worthless. You couldn't compare to Aaron if you tried."

She was right.

How could a little beggar who'd survived on spoiled leftovers ever compete with the son she'd kept by her side, showered with love and given every opportunity money could buy?

No matter how hard I worked, it would never be enough.

I knew they all hated me.

My mother hated that I'd survived while the son she'd treasured above everything else had been diagnosed with a heart condition and told he wouldn't live past twenty-nine.

Whitney hated me because my existence had kept her from marrying her childhood sweetheart, Aaron.

The Novak family's tradition dictated that the eldest son married the eldest daughter of the allied family. No one had the power to defy it.

I'd asked to leave countless times. Every single time, they'd refused.

I didn't know how much time had passed before my mother finally stormed out, still cursing under her breath as she dragged the others away.

Aaron glanced back at me. A smug smile curled across his lips as he silently mouthed two words.

I knew exactly what he was saying.

"Dirty freak."

My body went rigid.

The next second, I scrambled to my feet and stumbled into the bathroom.

Standing beneath the shower, I scrubbed my skin so hard it turned raw and red. The wounds that had only just begun to scab split open again, blood streaming down my body as searing pain flared from every inch of skin.

But it still wasn't enough.

I still felt filthy.

So filthy.

After what felt like forever, I looked up at my reflection. Blood diluted by water swirled toward the drain.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

It was pointless. I'd already been dirtied beyond redemption.

When I finally climbed into bed, Whitney walked into the room. She stopped when she saw the empty nightstand. "You didn't get me any water?"

I lowered my eyes. "I forgot."

She had a sensitive stomach.

For the past twelve years, ever since I'd learned she was destined to become my wife, I'd placed a glass of warm water on her bedside table every single night before bed. It had become second nature.

Even without looking up, I could feel her staring at me.

A long silence stretched between us.

Then we spoke at the same time.

"Take your clothes off. Mom said we have to have a son this year."

"I want a divorce."

Whitney froze halfway through unbuttoning her blouse. Her expression darkened.

She strode over, grabbed my chin, and forced me to meet her eyes. Her voice was laced with anger.

"You disappear for three days, come home acting like you've lost your mind, and now you're asking for a divorce? Is there someone else?"

Then her gaze turned ice cold. "Listen carefully, August. In my life, there's only being widowed. There will never be a divorce."

She shoved me away, turned on her heel, and slammed the bedroom door behind her.

I quietly pulled the blanket over myself and closed my eyes.

It didn't matter anymore. All I wanted was to stay alive.

As long as I lived, that was enough.

Soon, I heard Whitney and Aaron's laughter drift in from the room next door. Whether it was intentional or not, their voices seemed to come from the wall right beside my bed.

I swallowed the bitterness rising in my chest.

My mind drifted back to the first night after I'd been kidnapped. One of my captors got drunk and accidentally left his phone on the table.

Whitney's number was the only one I remembered. Without hesitation, I called her.

The phone rang for more than ten seconds. The instant she answered, she hung up.

That had been the closest I'd come to being rescued and the fastest my hope had ever been destroyed.

In that single second before the line went dead, I'd heard her laughing with Aaron, exactly like she was now.

It didn't take long for the kidnappers to realize the phone was missing. One of them glared at me with drunken fury and sickening lust.

Blow after blow rained down on me. They shattered my fingers one by one, shocked me with a stun gun until I lost control of my bladder, and filmed obscene videos.

...

That night was a nightmare I could never bring myself to relive.

I wrapped my arms tightly around myself.

Even now, I could still remember every ounce of the despair and every shred of the terror.

Somewhere between sleep and consciousness, I felt the mattress beside me sink.

The moment a hand slid around my waist, my body locked up. I bolted upright, gasping for air, my face drained of color.

Whitney hurriedly switched on the bedside lamp. Seeing how pale I was, something unreadable flickered across her face.

"Since when did you become such a light sleeper?"

The old me had always slept soundly beside her.

She used to tease me, saying I must've been a pig in my previous life.

I'd never minded. If anything, I'd been happy she'd joked with me at all. Now, all I felt was cold.

Once I realized where I was, my rigid body slowly relaxed. I closed my eyes.

How could I not become a light sleeper?

For those three days, every time I drifted off, they threw insects, rats, and snakes onto my body. They drank, watched me scream in agony, and laughed as if it were the greatest entertainment in the world.

"No... I'm just tired."

I clutched the blanket and curled myself into a tight ball at the very edge of the bed.

Only there did I feel the slightest trace of safety.

Whitney remained seated beside me, silently watching.

After all, I used to be the one constantly clinging to her, desperate for her affection. She probably couldn't understand why I kept pushing her away now.

Chapter 3

The next morning, at breakfast, Whitney did something completely out of character. She placed a juicy sausage onto my plate.

"Eat more. I remember this used to be your favorite."

Without a word, I lowered my head and continued eating my eggs, leaving the sausage untouched.

If this had happened before, I would've been so happy I wanted the whole world to know.

Now, I only wished I could disappear.

Across the table, Aaron's expression darkened ever so slightly as he watched Whitney fuss over me.

A moment later, his phone rang.

After listening for only a few seconds, he held it out to me with a smile that sent a chill crawling down my spine.

"August, someone's insisting on speaking to you."

Caught off guard, I took the phone without thinking.

The voice on the other end instantly froze the blood in my veins.

"Long time no see, Mr. Novak. Miss me? Because I've been thinking about you. Those three days... I still can't forget them."

The phone slipped from my hand and hit the floor with a sharp crack. Every trace of color drained from my face.

My hands clenched into trembling fists as I stared at Aaron.

After what felt like an eternity, I forced the words out. "Why... why would he call you?"

Aaron blinked innocently. "What are you talking about, August? Who was that?"

A slow smile spread across his lips, the familiar malice in his eyes impossible to miss. "Why's some guy saying he misses you? That's pretty disgusting."

The last thread of reason inside me snapped. I shot to my feet and stormed across the room, grabbing him by the collar.

"Do you know him? Tell me! Do you know him?"

Aaron immediately clutched his chest, gasping for air as he looked pitifully toward Whitney. "Whitney, did I make August angry again?"

Whitney's expression turned icy. She seized my arm. "Let him go, August!"

My ears rang so loudly I couldn't hear another word. I slammed Aaron against the dining table, rage blazing in my eyes.

"Tell me the truth! Was this all your doing? Was it?"

Aaron's face grew paler and paler as he stretched a trembling hand toward Whitney. "H-Help, Whitney… August, what did I ever do to you? Why would you—"

A sharp pain exploded across my back. I grunted and stumbled forward before collapsing against the couch.

Looking up, I saw Whitney standing there, gripping a dining chair with both hands, her face ashen. She tossed the chair aside and rushed to Aaron, who looked moments away from suffocating.

With trembling hands, she pulled a bottle of heart medication from his pocket and quickly fed him a pill.

Only after his breathing steadied did she turn back to me. Her palm cracked across my face.

"Have you completely lost your mind, August? Aaron has a heart condition! Were you trying to kill him?"

Ignoring the burning pain in my cheek, I grabbed her hand like it was my last lifeline. "Whitney, please. Just believe me this once."

I pointed at Aaron. "He has something to do with my kidn—"

Standing behind Whitney, Aaron looked straight at me. His lips moved silently.

One word: "Video."

My face went deathly pale. It felt like invisible hands were crushing my throat. Not a single sound came out.

Whitney frowned impatiently. "Go on. What about him?"

Slowly, I let go of her hand as a hollow laugh escaped my lips.

So it really was him. My own brother had orchestrated the kidnapping.

I'd never hated anyone as much as I hated him in that moment. I'd never wanted to kill someone so badly.

Hatred swallowed me whole.

I'd done nothing wrong.

So why?

Why did they all have to do this to me?

I slowly lifted my head. My face was pale as death. My bloodshot eyes burned with hatred as I glared at Aaron.

"He's a monster. A filthy, worthless monster. He deserves that heart condition—"

Before I could finish, Whitney shoved my head down onto the couch.

The right side of my face was crushed against the cushions. Anger flashed across her normally composed features.

My chest rose and fell violently. Expressionless, I stared at her. All I could see was her lips moving.

After a long silence, I let out a bitter laugh. "I can't hear out of my left ear."

I saw her freeze just for an instant. Then she yanked me to my feet with startling force. Her manicured nails dug deep into my arm as she crouched in front of me, staring into my eyes.

"What did you just say?"

My lips trembled.

Before I could answer, she grabbed my arm again and dragged me toward the front door.

Aaron hurried after us, catching hold of her wrist. "Whitney, where are you going? My heart still doesn't feel very—"

"Get lost!" She violently shook him off. Her eyes were ice cold.

"If you're not feeling well, then take your damn medicine. Stop following me."

It was the first time I'd ever seen her like this. She looked as though she were on the verge of completely losing control.

Chapter 4

Whitney took me straight to the largest hospital in Rivergate and ordered a full examination of my ears.

When the doctor confirmed that the blow to my left ear had caused permanent hearing loss, every trace of color drained from Whitney's face.

She staggered backward until her back slammed into the wall. She stared at me blankly, her eyes filled with an emotion I couldn't understand.

"How... how is that possible?"

The drive home was unnaturally quiet. The silence was so complete I could hear every breath we took.

I kept my eyes closed, pretending to sleep, yet I could still feel her gaze burning into me.

After a long while, her hoarse voice finally broke the silence.

"When did this happen?"

I answered calmly, "The first night after I was kidnapped. I called you for help. After you hung up, they found out I'd used the phone and beat me for it."

The tires screeched as she slammed on the brakes and pulled over to the side of the road.

She turned toward me, panic written all over her face.

"I never got your call! Back then, I..." Her voice stopped abruptly. Something seemed to occur to her, and her expression turned deathly pale.

She started the car again without another word.

Exactly what I'd expected.

A bitter smile tugged at my lips as I turned to stare out the window. She already suspected Aaron. But in the end, she still chose to believe him.

Then again, everyone in high society knew how devoted she'd always been to him.

She'd flown abroad countless times searching for a treatment that might cure his heart condition.

Back in college, she'd even secretly changed her major to medicine behind her father's back, all for Aaron.

On our wedding day, she and Aaron had arrived late together.

My mother had been positively beaming. She'd taken every opportunity to hint that I should step aside.

Over the years, there had been no shortage of rumors. Still, I'd trusted Whitney. I'd forgotten that, in their eyes, I was still that filthy little beggar they'd brought home years ago.

The one who was always abandoned.

I was then, and I still was.

The moment we got home, Aaron hurried over, smiling as he reached for Whitney's handbag the way he always did.

She sidestepped him without a word. Her expression was cold as she walked past him, took my hand instead, and led me upstairs.

I glanced back. Aaron's face darkened instantly. His eyes fixed on our intertwined hands with undisguised hostility.

The moment we entered the bedroom, a video notification appeared on my phone.

It was a grotesque face, and there was heavy, disgusting breathing. My body immediately began trembling uncontrollably.

The caller ID flashed Aaron's name. My shaking fingers answered the call. His icy voice came through the speaker.

"You've got two days to divorce Whitney and move out of the house. Otherwise, everyone will get to see exactly what my dear big brother looked like while he was being violated."

"Aaron, you monster!"

The line disconnected.

My vision turned red with rage as I hurled the phone against the wall. It shattered into pieces.

Panting, I collapsed onto the floor.

My fists clenched until my knuckles cracked. Hatred spread through me like poison.

I wasn't afraid of dying.

I only wanted to know…

Why?

Why was I the only one condemned to live in hell?

They were the ones who'd brought me home, and they were also the ones who'd driven me into despair...

I'd drag every last one of them down to hell with me.

That night, when Whitney climbed on top of me once again, I didn't resist the way I always had before. I forced myself to suppress both the revulsion and the instinctive trembling that gripped my body.

She kissed me desperately, her hands slowly roaming across my skin. Her words came between broken kisses.

"August, I was wrong before. Let's start over. Let's forget everything that's happened, okay? I'll find those kidnappers. I'll make them pay..."

Suddenly, she froze. Her eyes dropped to my chest. It was covered in fresh scabs, one healing wound after another. There were even bruised bite marks.

It was as though all the strength had drained from her body. She sank onto the bed beside me, trembling as her fingertips traced each wound.

"W-What... what happened to you?"

I stared at the ceiling. My voice was completely flat.

"Proof of what they did to me during those three days. Oh... and this."

I handed her my phone. "It's the video Aaron used to threaten me today. He wants me to divorce you."

I pushed myself upright and gently took her hand.

Resting my forehead against the back of it, I pleaded in a voice stripped of all pride.

"Whitney, please let me go. My life is all I have left. I just want to live. I'm begging you... please."

The room echoed with my voice while the video's vulgar insults and horrific scenes carved into my heart all over again.

Whitney couldn't even bear to watch until the end. She turned the phone face down and covered her face with both hands.

Tears slipped through her fingers, one after another, landing on my back.

"I'm sorry, August… I'm so sorry..."

The only sound filling the enormous bedroom was her muffled sobbing, yet my heart remained completely still. None of them knew how I'd survived those three days.

A long time later, she suddenly grabbed my hand with desperate force. Her voice had broken from crying.

"I'll help you get revenge, August. I swear I will. And after that, we'll start over. Whoever you want revenge against, we'll make them pay together."