All Chapters of Only after Goodbye: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

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

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

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 floo

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

Chapter 5

When Whitney showed up with the police and had Aaron taken away, he stared at her in disbelief before screaming hysterically, "Whitney! How could you do this to me? Have you forgotten? I saved your life back then..."She looked at him coldly, anger flashing in her eyes.The night before, she'd finally told me why she'd devoted herself so completely to Aaron all these years.When they were twelve, she'd nearly drowned, and Aaron had supposedly risked his own life to pull her from the water.I'd told her the truth. It had been me. I even described every detail of that day exactly as it had happened.Only then did Whitney realize she'd been deceived for more than a decade.Whatever affection she still had for Aaron disappeared completely.She even made sure the officers knew to see that he received "special treatment" once he was behind bars.My mother had just returned from a vacation.All she saw was Aaron being led away in handcuffs. Her eyes instantly turned bloodshot.She l

Chapter 6

The color drained completely from my mother's face. The anger and disgust in her eyes slowly gave way to shock, then agony.She shook her head in disbelief before turning to Aaron, whose face had gone ashen. Her lips trembled. "Aaron, you... you did this?"Aaron's fists clenched tighter and tighter. His face twisted with rage."So what if I did? Didn't I have every right to hate him? He's the reason Whitney and I were torn apart!"And because of him, all of you started treating me like I was already dying! Even those old men at the company looked down on me!""But why? I'm better than him in every way! He's just some beggar who barely survived on the streets! What gives him the right to be my brother?"If he hadn't come back, those people probably would've taken turns violating him out there anyway. I—"Smack!My mother rushed forward and slapped him across the face with all her strength. Her entire body shook uncontrollably."He's your brother! No matter what, he's still my s

Chapter 7

I never expected to wake up again.I'd been taking those stimulants for half a month. I could feel my organs failing faster and faster, beyond anyone's control.The moment I opened my eyes, I found my mother sitting beside my bed. Her eyes were swollen from crying. She grabbed my hand tightly, tears splashing onto the back of it."You're awake, August. You've been unconscious for five days."I was wrong. I really was. I was so blind before."Don't worry. I'll save you. I'll spend every penny I have if I have to. I'll find the best doctor in the world to cure you...""Leave. I don't want to see you." I pulled my hand away with what little strength I had.She froze. More tears spilled down her face as she pleaded with me."August, can't you give me one more chance? You're suffering so much right now. I just want to stay by your side and take care of you..."I slowly closed my eyes, suppressing the stabbing pain spreading through my lower abdomen. "If you don't want me to die ev

Chapter 8

I simply smiled and changed the channel.I was dying. I couldn't understand what any of it was supposed to accomplish.When Whitney finally returned, she was limping badly, yet she seemed oblivious to the pain. Smiling brightly, she held out a protective charm she'd brought back for me."August, I prayed for this just for you. You're going to live a long—"Before she could finish, I looked down at the charm in my hand. With a smile, I loosened my fingers. It dropped straight into the trash can.Whitney's face instantly turned white.I looked at her calmly. "Stop wasting your effort. I don't want to live."She glanced only briefly at the charm lying in the trash before taking my hand and smiling gently."It's okay. I'll go pray for another one whenever you want."Night after night, the pain kept me awake.Through the reflection in the window, I could see my mother sitting outside my hospital room, silently crying as she watched over me.I supposed that the reason I'd struggle

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP