Only after Goodbye

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.