Chapter 4

Ludex, depressed and unable to walk, sighed deeply as he dragged his legs along the ground reluctantly. He finally got home after forty minutes of distress but to his greatest surprise, he could see his belongings scattered on the ground outside his house. Ludex moved closer to have a clearer view. He thought maybe he was mistaken but to his disappointment, it was all real. His clothes were everywhere and the neighbours looked from their windows with a smirk on their faces. He was never respected anyway.

“Serves him right, what a useless fellow,” an older man said at the top of his voice watching from his window.

A cold laughter filled the air and Ludex buried his head in shame. He went on his knees and picked them up one at a time.

“There you go boy, pick them up,” the other residents laughed out loud.

Ludex was mute to all the mockery. There was nothing weird about it, he had been living that way since he married Angela. But again, he wondered who could be responsible for such cruelty. Angela was not home neither were the hefty guards he saw from yesterday's event.

“Mmm,” Ludex sighed in distress. This was not the surprise he had in mind but everything just blew over. He was supposed to surprise her but now, it seems like he was the one surprised. Not a good surprise.

Ludex lost in his thoughts glanced at the windows and something caught his attention. The windows were open, who could be inside? He wasn't expecting anyone since his tormentors were out there working. He stood up and managed to take a step further. He groaned at every step, he was in great pain considering last night's events.

Ludex slowly reached for the doorknob. The moment he opened it and stepped his foot inside the apartment, he felt a pullback and a slap landed on his cheeks.

“Ahh!” Ludex groaned and held onto his cheeks. He was getting tired of the assaults.

“How dare you step foot inside this building?” Mary sneered at him, “You have no place here.”

“Mother, why did you do that?” Ludex said, still holding his cheeks.

“And who the hell is your mother? By the way, why are you still here?”

“I don't understand, this is my house. I live here.”

“Where exactly?” William questioned with a firm voice. He folded the newspaper in his hands and glared at Ludex who was standing at the door.

“Look here you son of a bitch, you have no home, no family, no life. Do yourself a favor and exit this building. Don't you have any shame, Ludex? Where is your conscience? Don't you realize what your presence does to my daughter? You're pure bad luck, boy.”

“B-But,” Ludex stuttered, “This is my house. Where do you expect me to go?”

“The bridge would be fine,” William glanced at his wife, and in a second, the room was filled with cold laughter.

“What the hell are you saying? This is my fucking house,” Ludex snapped. “I owe…”

SLAP!!!

Before he could say another word, Mary snapped and slapped him on the other cheek.

“How dare you talk to my husband that way?” She snapped.

Ludex's eyes spun in confusion. All in one day, what is happening? He rubbed his cheeks and squinted his eyes at his in-laws.

All these years of trying to please these people were all for nothing. No matter how hard he tried, he got humiliated in the end. The Stone family never liked him for their daughter. They have been a thorn in his flesh since the beginning of his marriage to Angela. He had met them in a bad state. The Stone family were poor and Ludex helped them build that little company of theirs with his sweat. He might not be as rich as they thought but he was the reason they are here today and after they got what they wanted, came the disregard. He had tolerated it far too long. Looking at them now, Ludex felt nothing but regret. A time wasted chasing what was never meant to be. They all used him, all of them.

“Did you know?” He managed to summon his courage. “Did you know about all these?” Ludex eyes were red from all the crying and pain.

They laughed at his face and glared at the young man.

Ludex remembered how he starved for days saving his monthly pay of $100 just to build Angela's business. She was a talented baker and Ludex thought it best to set up a small firm in her name that later grew to its brand. Since she can't get a decent job due to her low grades in college, he made her a career instead. One thing Angela was unaware of was Ludex's influence in pushing her career to the point it is now. He was the brain behind her success. His influence did the trick.

Another resounding slap landed on his right cheek and he snapped back to reality but this time, with a bleeding nostril. He clenched his fist and closed the gap between them. The couples felt a surge of fear run through them and took a step back but to their biggest surprise, Ludex slumped to the ground and wailed in distress. Angela was his world, a reason to live again but now his world had been shattered by the woman he called his love.

“This is too much,” he clenched his fist.

“Mmm,” the couple scoffed and watched him sulk in misery.

“What did I ever do to deserve this?” Ludex raised his head and wiped his bloody nose. “I have never done anything bad to you. I work hard every day to support this family, is it a crime to love? I only married your daughter, that is not an offense,” he shot them a cold glare.

“You mean nothing to us. What did you ever do for this family? Tell me, earning $100 monthly? Is that it?” Mary barked.

“You can't even afford a decent meal, so what have you done for this family? Tell me, Ludex.” William snapped. “You know, it's a good thing Angela listened to my advice. I can never imagine her having a baby with you. Good thing she always took pills.”

Ludex widened his eyes in shock, “What did you just say?”

“You heard him right,” Mary rolled her eyes and spat out in disgust, “And for the record, the divorce was our idea too.”

Ludex was speechless for a while but when he managed to speak, he stuttered, “I-I.”

“Get out or we're calling the cops this instant, Leave...” Mary screamed with a cold expression on her face.

Ludex flickered his eyes between the couple and his hands trembled. Stabbed by the knife of betrayal, Ludex stood up and turned his back to leave unable to say anything. That was the final straw. His fragile heart bled in betrayal.

However, there was a sudden turn of events when a convoy of sleek and luxurious cars surrounded the premises. Everyone froze in their tracks as black-suited men in sunglasses alighted from the vehicles, forming a protective barrier around the lead car.