Chapter 3. Inject me with something

Alex’s eyes widened, his voice trembling. “Ja…James? Is that you?” A cold chill shot through his body, goosebumps rising instantly.

   A sharp gasp echoed from the other end. “Oh shit,” James muttered. Then the line went dead.

   “No… no, this can’t be happening.” Alex’s fingers shook as he checked the number again. It was the blackmailer’s. The same number. His heart dropped.

   Frantically, he redialed. It rang…once, twice…no answer. He typed out a message: James, please tell me this isn’t what I’m thinking. He waited but no reply came.

   He slumped onto the couch, staring blankly. His thoughts spiraled. Was he the blackmailer all along? Did he really plant that camera?

   He called again…now the number was switched off.

   Alex’s chest tightened. “Did he just… use me again? Was it all fake? Good heavens, no… please no,” he whispered, tears pooling in his eyes as the truth began to crush him.

   A sudden knock on the door startled Alex. The door swung open and it was Jason, his younger cousin. He stepped in.

   “Big bro, I need help with my math,” Jason said casually, then paused when he saw Alex’s face. “Big bro… are you okay?”

   Alex shook his head, trying to hold it together, but a tear slipped down his cheek. He wiped it quickly, grabbed his car keys.

   “I’m sorry, Jason. Not today. I have to handle something urgently,” he said, brushing past him and disappearing out the door.

   He drove straight to James’s grandmother’s house. The moment she saw him, her face lit up.

   “Oh, my dear Alex! It’s been ages. How have you been?”

   “I’ve been fine, Grandma. I was hoping to see James…I haven’t been able to reach him.”

   The old woman smiled warmly. “He didn’t tell you? He left just before noon…said he was done with the business he came for. He even got a new car…said the deal went smoother than expected!”

   Alex’s heart cracked. He forced a small smile, nodded, and said goodbye. But the moment he stepped back into his car, the pain hit hard. His hands trembled, and tears spilled freely.

   “No… James can’t be this cruel. He said he loved me. He…he can’t have used me again”

    His breath hitched as he turned the ignition and drove to the Kornelly Hotel. He told the security everything. Feeling sympathetic for him, they let him check the surveillance footage.

   And there it was.

   A man in a hoodie and cap, face mostly hidden…but the build, the walk… it was James. No doubt. Alex’s heart shattered.

    He left the hotel, barely holding himself together. He got home and sank into silence, a bottle of whiskey clutched in one hand.

   Barely minutes later, two police officers arrived at the Bensons' residence. They explained to Mr. Caleb Benson what the Kornelly Hotel security had reported.

   Caleb dismissed them politely. “We’ll get back to you tomorrow.” Then furiously, he stormed into Alex’s room.

   There, he found his son slumped on the floor, half-drunk and mumbling to himself.

   “What the heck are the police officers saying?” Caleb barked. “You were blackmailed by someone you know? Who is the bastard? Give me a name!”

   Alex didn’t look up. “No, Dad… I didn’t call the police. They shouldn’t get involved. He’ll return the money. He didn’t mean to do it. He… he loves me. He said he wouldn’t hurt me again. I promise, he will come back to explain…”

   “Damn it, Alex!” his father snapped. “Are you still this blind? If you don’t act now, he’ll vanish with the money for good!”

  Just then, his mother, Sally, entered with Jason and his sister, Annie.

  “Alex dear, what’s Jason talking about?” his mother asked, rushing to his side.

   Caleb turned to her, fuming. “Good, you’re here, Sally. Your son refuses to give up the name. He still believes the guy who blackmailed him loves him.”

  “A guy?” Jason and Annie exclaimed in unison with surprise written all over them.

   “Yes, a guy…and not a word of this leaves this room,” Caleb snapped, eyes blazing. “Alex, do I know this person?”

   Alex didn’t answer. He just took a shaky gulp of his drink.

   Furious, his father yanked the bottle from his hand. “Goddamn it, son! Pull yourself together. That five million I gave you yesterday…is it for the fucking guy?”

   A collective gasp filled the room. All eyes locked on Alex.

   He nodded slowly, tears streaming down his cheek. “Everything happened so fast. I didn’t see it coming. It all felt so perfect… I love him. Mom, I still do. Maybe someone made him do it. He said he loves me. Maybe his…”

  “Enough!” Caleb thundered. “Who the heck is he? Don’t tell me it’s that bastard from your university days. What’s his name…?”

   “James?” his mother whispered, crouching beside him and taking his trembling hand, her eyes full of sorrow.

   Caleb’s jaw tightened. “Yes. That’s it. Alex, don’t tell me it’s that son of a bitch again.”

   “Dad… he told me why he left. He apologized. I believed him. He can’t just…”

  “Goddamn it, Alex!” Caleb cut in angrily. “How could you trust him again? What’s he using to blackmail you? What does he have on you?”

   “No, Dad… I can’t show you. It’s too shameful,” Alex whispered through tears.

  “Is it your nudity?” his father pressed.

   Alex nodded, breaking down again. “It's worse Dad, it's too shameful to see”

   His mother quickly acted, waving everyone out. “Now that's enough, everyone out. Caleb, please calm down, he is hurting badly.”

   Everyone left, but the mother stayed by his side, gently holding his hand and comforting him until he cried himself to sleep.

   But just before dawn, the peace was shattered.

   ***

In a nightmare, James stood over him, laughing cruelly as Alex sat in an abandoned room, tied up and naked.  

“You’re so stupid,” James sneered. “Pay up or the world sees how dirty you really are.”  

    Alex begged, sobbing for mercy, “James, don't do this, please. You said you love me, please let me loose.”

    James gave out a wicked loud laughter. “Love? Did you say love?” He asked, his eyes blazing with hatred. “Naive you are, Alex. Never trust anyone who says, ‘I love you’”, he shouted at him.

   Alex cried out in pain, but James didn't give a damn until Alex jolted awake, still screaming, “No, James, please.”

   ***

   His sheets were soaked in sweat, a pounding headache blinding him. He curled into himself and didn’t move. For two full days, he refused food, ignored everyone, and barely spoke. His family tried everything, but he shut them out completely.

  On the third day, he collapsed.

  Panic erupted. He was rushed to the hospital, diagnosed with severe dehydration, starvation, and depression. They fed him through a tube and monitored him around the clock.

  Two days later, he opened his eyes. The first word he spoke was, “I want to die, please inject me with something.”

   Those words created fear in the family, they watched him like a maniac, even his using the toilet was monitored until he started acting normal.

   A week later, he was talking, smiling faintly, even eating again. He asked to be discharged, insisting he was fine.

   But deep inside, Alex had made a decision. The moment he was released, he was heading for the sea at the slightest chance he got. And he wasn’t coming back.

   It happened on that fateful afternoon. Alex’s mother had come to visit, her usual gentle smile in place and a small bag of apples in hand. “You need some fruit, sweetheart,” she said softly, settling beside him. She borrowed a knife from a nurse to slice them. Moments later, her phone buzzed. “Give me a few minutes dear,” she said, stepping outside to answer her call.

   The moment the door clicked shut, something shifted in Alex. His eyes drifted to the knife. A dangerous silence wrapped around him as his thoughts spiraled. He grabbed the blade. His pulse quickened. One slice and the pain would finally end. No more shame. No more pretending.

   He pressed the knife against his wrist. Then a voice came…  

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

   The voice was calm but firm. Alex’s head snapped up toward the door.