All Chapters of The Secondhand Fatigue Curse: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

My heart seized like an invisible fist had closed around it, squeezing tight. The crushing suffocation jolted me upright in bed.Cold sweat soaked through my pajamas in seconds.I gasped for air, eyes darting around the room.I wasn't dead.A glance at the clock told me I was back on the night of Todd Bren's very first all-nighter.In my last life, that was the night my existence turned into a slow, drawn-out execution.Todd was Anne Graves's first love—and her business partner. A born workaholic, worshipped by the entire company as some kind of productivity god. He could lock himself in for seven days straight, barely sleeping, just to nail a project, walk away with a ten-million-dollar contract, and soak up everyone's adoration like it was his due.And me? As Anne's husband, I'd end up in the hospital after every one of his manic work binges.Nerve damage. Heart palpitations. Chest tightness. Eventually, heart failure.When I tried to explain the sick connection to Anne, she

Todd's lips parted slightly, the truth hovering on the edge of his tongue—and then came the deafening crash of the front door being kicked open.Anne stormed in, face blazing with fury. She shoved me aside and rushed to the couch, frantically checking on Todd's condition."Brett! You insane bastard! What the hell are you doing to Todd?!"She whirled around, her eyes bloodshot, boring into me like she wanted to tear me apart with her bare hands."I should've seen this coming. You're just jealous—you can't stand that Todd is better than you! So you try to destroy him with some cheap, cowardly trick!"My body was so wrecked from the last few days that I had no strength to resist. Her shove sent me stumbling into the corner of the coffee table. A searing pain shot through my ribs."I wasn't—""Don't you dare lie to me!" Anne cut me off, yanking the strip of sleeping pills from my bag. Her face twisted into something ugly. "You say you're exhausted? I think you're just bored out of y

Todd stood there in silence, taking the verbal beating without a word. He just gave a dull, mechanical nod.I watched from the shadows. I knew exactly how Anne operated—you were only worth as much as you could produce. I was living proof.Over the next three days, Todd locked himself in his office, mainlining coffee and energy drinks, trying to fight off the crushing wave of exhaustion.Meanwhile, I kept up my routine at my uncle's retreat—daily IV therapy, breathwork, clean meals. Every day, I felt a little stronger.Three days later, the re-pitch arrived.Todd shuffled onto the stage, looking like death warmed over—dark circles so deep they looked bruised, his whole frame swaying.This time, he held it together. He delivered the entire presentation flawlessly.But the moment the investors announced they'd won the bid, something in him snapped. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, hitting the floor with a sickening thud—completely unconscio

Todd stood behind her, his eyes gleaming with vicious satisfaction.I looked at these two people—cornered, desperate, completely unhinged—and asked them, "Anne. Do you really think something like this comes for free? Do you really think that bracelet works however you want it to?"My words made them pause for a second."Shut up! I don't care who says what—you're giving us your life, whether you like it or not!"They dragged me into the bedroom, tied me down to the bed with ropes, and locked the door behind them.From the living room, I soon heard the frantic clatter of Todd's keyboard.I closed my eyes and waited.Todd felt it immediately—a surge of "energy" like he'd never experienced. It was like someone had injected pure adrenaline into his veins. His mind sharpened, his fingers flying across the keys.Anne hovered over him, watching the proposal grow on the screen, her face splitting into a manic grin."Yes! Todd! I knew this would work!""That worthless Brett—all that ti