Chapter one

Isaac Lahey, standing across the newspaper stand, stared with shock at the paper's headline. His eyes failed to register what he was seeing. His heart broken, clenching his fist with rage as the paper crumpled in his hands. He dropped it on the muddy ground, before proceeding to walk under the rain. Justus Malik, Owner of Layward Enterprise, and his boss had made new headlines by closing the biggest deal of the year just overnight. Crowned with a brilliant mind that allowed him to solve the overcrowding train system problem, and provide a prototype for a system that proved to aid in creating transit train systems that could pass in front of everyone's home. For the deal, he'd closed in on 114 million canadian dollars. He had changed his life. Everyone talked about him. He wasn't just the owner of a small town enterprise now, he could get bigger. Become bigger. Money like that could make him anything he wants to be. The press had been speculating on just how much that money would change Malik's life. His company, Layward enterprise, had been failing anyway. He could either shut it down or rebuild that brand from the bottom. The thing is, however, Justus Malik was a thief. And the money, the publicity of it and the impression of that genius idea did not belong to him. It was all Isaac Lahey. Dumb and easily trusting. Isaac had let his boss in on something he'd been working on for months. He had trusted him with everything he had. He saw Mr. Justus as a father figure, prior to the father who'd disowned him after dropping out of college. Now his idea had been stolen, and to make matters worse, there was no way to prove it was his.

While he walked home that evening, feeling hopeless and betrayed, he knew there was at least one thing he could look up to: The love of his life, Amelia Adams, whom he had helped through law school with the little he earned at the company. When he reached the building, his heart thumped rapidly as he shivered in the cold, taking note to take off his already soaking clothes once he was home. He ran up the flight of stairs, his footsteps echoed in the empty hall, raindrops pelting down on him like a barrage of tiny bullets. His breath was heavy, matching the rhythm of his pounding heart. The world around him seemed blurred, his vision clouded not only by the rain but also by the storm of emotions inside him. He felt helpless.

Finally reaching his front door, he fumbled for his keys with trembling hands. The cold metal slipped from his grasp a couple of times before he managed to insert it into the lock. The door creaked open, revealing the dimly lit interior of his small apartment. He had hardly afforded this place. His lifestyle reflected that of a man laden with responsibilities of ten extra people and none of them being him. He stepped inside, drenched and dishevelled, water dripping off him onto the floor.

As he walked further in, a sinking feeling gnawed at his gut. He couldn't explain why, but a sense of unease crept over him. The apartment felt different, the unfamiliar silence made him almost assume Amelia wasn't home. He kicked off his wet shoes and trudged down the hallway, each step heavy with apprehension.

Pushing open the bedroom door, his heart plummeted like a stone.

Entangled in the sheets was his naked girlfriend, seated on top of someone. The sound of the creaking door seemed to snap her out of a trance, causing Amelia to push herself off the man she was on top of.

"Isaac.'' She let out, clutching the sheets against her naked form.

Isaac, unsure of what to do or say, stood across the room staring at her, right before the man at her side sat up in full view. As if the shock on his face had not been enough, there was visible pain etched on his features when his gaze fell on Bradley, his brother. His mind struggled to process the scene before him. Betrayal and disbelief battled for dominance.

Isaac's brother scrambled to get up, his face pale as he stammered, "Isaac, I... we didn't expect you back so soon."

"Isaac, it's not what you think," Amelia stammered, her voice trembling.

Isaac, Feeling disgusted just by looking at them, walked out of the bedroom. in his mind was a storm of emotions that made him feel suffocated. like he was drowning and there was no one to save him. He had the footsteps of both his girlfriend and his brother follow him out of their bedroom still trying to come up with a reasonable excuse.

" How long?" He let out as he entered the kitchen, seeking as much distance from them as possible.

" Isaac please…'' Amelia begged, " we can talk about this. I can explain. I promise it's not what you think.''

"Don't pamper him.'' Bradley, suddenly seeming like a different person, looked up. " You're not a child. You know exactly what was happening.''

Isaac looked up at him with a shocked expression. He felt the rage pumping in his veins yet there was something bigger than that. There was the pain of betrayal and heartbreak.

" Bradley please you have to go.'' Amelia said as she tried pushing Bradley out of the room. but he wouldn't back down.

" Come on Isaac. You said you wanted to be a man. you said that you wanted to make something out of yourself. Well this is your chance. You found me with your girlfriend, what are you going to do? Are you going to be a little bitch about it?"

" Bradley stop it.'' Amelia said between tears. Isaac looked up at her. All the love that he has shown this woman. After everything he has done for her. He couldn't even understand why she was crying. He couldn't understand why she was acting like the victim.

With anger raging inside him, Isaac bolted past the kitchen and into the living room where Bradley was. With one swing, he hit him hard across the jaw, causing him to stumble back with imbalance. Amelia let out a scream, crying out as if she was the one who got hurt.

"Yesss! Little Brother, come on.'' Bradley teased, stretching his hands as he beckoned for Isaac to come at him again. And Isaac did not miss, he punched him again, this time making it so hard that his own hand hurt.

Yet he didn't see the blow to his stomach that followed, or the punch to his face that caused him to fall on the floor. His brother came on top of him, a smile on his face as he began punching him relentlessly.

"You have no idea how long I've been wanting to do this.'' Bradley said as he kept hitting him. The screams of Amelia filled the room as she tried to beg. Yet, weirdly, she wasn't begging Bradley to stop, she was begging Isaac to just go. So that Bradley wouldn't have to hurt him anymore.

This moment felt like the passing of eternal damnation. The moment where Isaac truly understood that he was alone in the world.

Finally, as if wearing himself out, Bradley got off his little brother, but not without that one final blow that brought about the bone cracking sound when Isaac's nose broke.

"Your girlfriend doesn't love you, papa resents you and mama wishes she never had you. All my life you've been the thing that stuck at my feet. The shadow i never wanted, the failure that associated with me..''

Isaac coughed, blood oozing from his face as he struggled to sit up.

He turned to Amelia, who stared at him in horror, shaking her head as she stood behind Bradley.

"Why?'' The question hung heavy in the air. Bradley followed his brothers eyes and turned back at Amelia, who was still crying, he kissed her forehead, before mouthing a simple, "It's okay baby.''

Isaac, with the eye that wasn't so swollen, watched the both of them with indentation. It felt unreal, something that even his nightmares couldn't be cruel enough to bring.

He got up from the floor, he picked up his wet jacket that he'd dropped when he entered the house. He looked back at the both of them, before walking towards the door.

"Isaac,'' Amelia's voice stretched to the depths of his soul, pulling at his strings and making him truly hate his life. Tears streamed down his face as he closed his eyes, images of the way he had loved her played in front of him. He thought about all he had sacrificed for her, all he had given her. He thought about how there wasn't even a piece of himself left to give because of her.

He opened the door, being welcomed by the sound of raging rain that would embrace him once he left the building. He stepped out of the apartment, before turning back at them.

"This was not supposed to happen," Amelia let out. "But your brother, he's much better than you. He doesn't embarrass me with dusty torn shoes when we walk together in public. He's put together, he's stronger, he can take care of me and I never need to wait for the end of the month so I can get something. I hope you know that i never meant to hurt you, we both just wanted different things.'' He failed to comprehend the magnitude of her words, he wondered just how self centred she had to be to justify all that.

He turned to the door, he walked out, and he slammed it shut, mirroring just how shuttered his life, and now his heart, was.