Chapter 1 THE BAD NEWS

The man snored loudly for a while, opened his blue eyeballs and raised his head from the bed as the giggling sounded louder.

"How will I sleep when she took away my alcohol?" He asked himself, standing up from his tiny mattress and shaking his head in resentment.

"She won't allow me to step into the kitchen, and forbade me from the liquor store."

His source of anger is not the murmuring and giggling of the pairs in the parlour downstairs, but against his wife who dares take away his source of contentment, after rubbing him off his right.

Out of curiosity and a mind to steal, the young man put on his shirt and trousers, stepped towards the door and seize his breath when the creaking sound of the opening door sounded louder in the silent night.

"Now I have to sneak around in our house. It wasn't like this when grandfather was alive-," he paused his murmuring, halted for a while, and only resumed when the couples resumed their amorous affair, "so bad."

Their whispering became audible as he tiptoed closer, and like before, the lady he called his wife was romancing another man inside her matrimonial house.

"Won't you spend the night with me?"

"No, honey. We still need to be discreet about our relationship, until you can be able to apply for divorce."

"Am glad the clause on our contract marriage allows me to divorce him after ten years," the lady moaned softly and let out, "I will be miserable to spend the rest of my life with him... I am glad I will be able to get rid of him in a year."

"A year is a long time. But I understand why you have to wait for the dead man's decision."

"Thank you. If not for the shares involved, how will I descend so low to marry a clown?"

"You will only have access to your share of your grandfather's fortune if you can bear to stick with this horrible man for one more year."

"We can elope and start a new life with the fortune that just comes my way. Why must we tarry because of golds that can be made when we are together?"

"No, honey. We need to accumulate more wealth. Let's play along until you are free from this unhappy married life."

The young man's destination is not the parlour, and he only eavesdrops on them to amuse himself.

Constant rejection, insult and tormenting had made him grow thick hair to the woman's taunt and unbelievably promiscuous life. And it had reached the stage where he no longer gives a damn.

As silent as a mouse, he tiptoed through the white-painted corridor and arrived at his destination.

After looking like a thief in search of a bounty, he dipped his hand inside his pocket and brought out a bunch of keys.

"Am glad Grandpa gave the master key of this house to me before his death. I guess he knows I will need them to stay alive after he leaves for the world beyond."

He froze his movement when the wooden door creaked louder, peered over his shoulders and promptly stepped into the wine store.

"I better carry two cartoons. I don't know when I will have this kind of opportunity again."

A smile appeared on his pale face, and he instantly stooped down to pick his choice among the cartoons of liquors and wines, grunt softly when he lifted two cartoons, and then tiptoed out of the store, and locked the door after.

Their voices boomed louder as he stepped closer. But this time around, the contented man hardly cast a look at their side but walked with alacrity towards his room.

The corridor was in total darkness, and he could hear the woman's moan and the man's grunt as they consumed their unholy passion.

"Is that why you off the light?"

Finding his way through the dark corridor is an easy task that he gladly performed, and he was at the steps in a few minutes. And that was when tragedy struck.

"Oh my gosh!"

It was too late, only a misplaced step send the man rolling back to the ground, and the shattering sound of the bottles of liquor sounded louder after.

"Am hurt!"

He was blinded and wasn't aware when the light was turned on and the woman and her lover appeared in nudes.

"I know you are a thief, but I don't believe you will descend so low to steal my cartoons of liquor."

"Please help me up... My left knee is dislocated."

"Serve you right," the fat and older man let out, turned towards the scornful-looking woman and resumed his speech, "no wonder you despised him so much."

"He is a lazy man and only lives his life eating and getting drunk. Why did grandpa hate me so much and decided to force me to marry this horrible man?"

"Help me, Andrea," he seized his breath, grab the swollen leg and cried out, "please help me for the sake of our son."

"It is time for you to tell him the bad news."

"I guess you are right."

"Just help me to call an ambulance, and forget about telling me any news. There is no news that will be as bad as the pain in my dislocated knee."

"Unfortunately, there is. The boy you called your son belongs to this gentleman over here."

"What did you mean?"

"Am sorry for the awful news. But I think it is time I tell you the truth. Johnson is not your son."

"You are kidding?"

"Am I? I will show you the DNA result if you are eager to see it. But that will be tomorrow."

"Please don't leave me like this. Call the ambulance... Am dying."

"Good riddance to bad rubbish... Just die... I hate you, Andrew, and your death will be the best way out of my pitiable situation."

Andrew knew she won't mind even if he die when she wrapped her arm around her lover, stuck her tongue out and both of them walked out of his sight.

"Daughter of Jezebel!"

The man in tears announced as the pain became unbearable, and his crying was drowned by the moaning of his wife as she was pleasured by their family lawyer.

How their relationship deteriorates into this state within a year after grandpa's death is still a mystery to him.