Chapter 1

Chase walked to the porch of his one-storey duplex and he placed his fingerprint on the scanner and turned the knob open, his briefcase on one hand and a bouquet of beautiful white roses on the other.

He had just closed a hundred million dollar-deal that would take his 3-star restaurant, which he had inherited from his father, to a 5-star Michelin restaurant and he was eager to share the news with his lovely wife. The pride and joy was evident on his face as it held a very wide grin.

He pushed the door open and walked to the balcony. Martha, his wife, was always at the balcony waiting for him with a book in her hands whenever he came back from work.

He looked around but she wasn't there. He called her name and was greeted with silence.

He took the stairs two at a time and when he got to the top of the stairs, he heard some sounds.

He chuckled. She was probably watching television.

He got closer to the room and the sound got louder. It was moaning. Was his wife watching porn? He thought and chuckled again, rushing to join her.

He pushed the door open and all air was knocked out of him.

Was he dreaming? He pinched himself to make sure what he was seeing was real. He stood rooted to his spot. He screamed in his head but no sound came out, the flower a long-forgotten memory as it landed softly on the tiled floor.

Right in front of him was his wife, butt naked, straddling a man and moaning like a hyena. What shocked him the most was the man underneath her.

His only brother.

"Martha" he tried to scream but all that came out was a croaked whisper.

They heard him and Martha got off him quickly but didn't bother to cover her body. Mark sat up with a smirk on his face.

Chase looked at the two people he cherished the most and in that moment, they looked like complete strangers. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Why?" The air carried his thoughts in a silent whisper and tears dropped from his eyes.

"Come off it brother. Stop playing the pity card all the time" his brother, Mark said, rolling his eyes.

He looked at Martha, hoping she would see the hurt in his eyes but he didn't expect what she did next.

She grabbed Mark by the hair and kissed him hard. Chase felt his knees buckle and suddenly, his legs couldn't carry his weight. He had to hold unto the door for support.

"What?" He whispered again. He couldn't even recognize his own voice.

"Oh Chase, you were so naive" she strodded towards him. "How did you think we met? She asked and his mind went back to the day in the restaurant a little over 3 years ago, that he had seen a pretty girl sitting alone, looking lost and he approached her. It was love at first sight, for him at least. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

His face must have shown his confusion which made her laugh very loudly. The laugh he had always loved to hear now sounded like nails against a chalkboard.

She raised her hands and traced his cheeks and her touch sent goosebumps down his spine and not in a good way. 

He balled his hands into tight fists till his fingernails drew blood.

"Mark and I have been dating since college. He only made me marry you to get what back what was rightfully his". She said and pouted towards Mark who still lay on the bed "right baby?" He nodded.

No… he couldn't be hearing right. What was the thing that was rightfully his that he played him this way? Chase thought. Mark was his  only sibling and there was nothing he would have ever asked of Chase that he wouldn't give him.

"I tried to make you sign over the restaurant to us but you were always so smart" she continued tracing her hands on his face. He couldn't move. He just stood there, staring emotionless at the woman he had given his all to.

"You see little brother, that restaurant was supposed to be mine. But you know, you're the perfect child and you always got all the good stuff, so dad didn't even think twice before he handed it to you" his brother finally stood up and came beside Martha, both of them still very naked.

His head was reeling. He felt like he was in a movie.

"You're a good guy Chase. My only regret is that you found out this way" Martha patted his cheek and he closed his eyes, trying to control the urge to snap her fingers. "Now that it's all out, kindly sign the rights of the restaurant to us and move on with your life" she said and he snapped his eyes open.

"No. I would never do that. I wouldn't watch my father's sweat go down the drain in the hands of Mark. He was very extravagant and always had different women each day. He had spent his share of dad's inheritance in less that 3 weeks. If they think I'll had over the shares then they are sorely mistaken". He thought to himself.

"Never" he voiced out his thoughts and before he could walk out of the room, Mark dragged him back, punching the daylights out of him. That hurt like a bitch but he wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of hurting him more than he already had.

Chase grabbed him by his neck and pushed him to the wall, his fist connecting sharply to his nose and the breaking of bones brought an unexpected calm to him.

"You son of a bitch" Mark spat and punched him in the rib, to which he retaliated, kicking behind his leg and sending him to the ground.

At this point, Chase saw red. He punched Mark's face severally and he heard Martha frantically screaming and soon, he heard an ear-splitting scream.

It took him a moment to realize that the scream had come from his lips. He had been hit on the head with a vase and it shattered in a million pieces around him.

He felt dazy and fell to the ground with a thud.

"What are we going to do?" He heard Martha say in panic.

"Calm down baby, breathe" Mark said and Chase struggled to keep his eyes open. "Come help me" he said and soon, he felt his body being lifted.

They climbed down the stairs and dropped him at the bottom of the stairs.

"Get a glass of water" Mark ordered. By now, their voices were becoming distorted and it took everything in him to keep his eyes open and his breaths came out short and labored.

He heard water splashing on the stairs.

"Now baby, when the police ask, you'll say you came back from grocery shopping and he probably fell down the wet stairs" Mark said sternly.

Chase tried to lift his hands. He tried to talk to them. He was bleeding out and he needed them to take him to the hospital.

He lay there helplessly as they stood above him and soon, everything turned white.

Was he dying? He wondered. 

He felt like he was being sucked into an endless white hole till he fell into the cold embrace of death.