Behind the grand front elevation of the house, he had discovered his wife Chloe kneeling awkwardly beside a dirty old washing basin. Her once-healthy body was painfully thin, her clothes hung loosely like rags over her tiny frame, and she wore a thick knitted cap despite the oppressive heat of the summer sun beating down on her back. She was down on her knees in the dirt, carefully trying to pick up sharp pieces of a broken plate with her trembling fingers.
She looked absolutely nothing like the bright, radiant woman he had kissed goodbye four years ago.
Before his mind could even begin to process the horrifying reality in front of him, his sister Brenda’s loud voice had boomed through the back window.
“That completely bald woman shouldn’t even be showing her ugly face outside when we have important guests over!” Brenda had shouted, her tone dripping with pure malice and arrogance.
The terrible words had hit Austin harder than any physical blow he had ever experienced in combat training.
Chloe had stopped moving entirely, her body stiffening as if she had just been struck by a whip.
Then she had slowly raised her pale face and locked eyes with him.
However, she had not run forward to throw her arms around his neck.
She had taken a hesitant step backward into the dirt, looking terrified.
Her shaky hands had immediately flown up to cover her head, desperately trying to hide the physical condition she was so deeply ashamed for him to see.
That heartbreaking reaction of pure fear had terrified Austin far more than the sight of her missing hair.
He had walked over to her side, reached out with gentle hands, and softly lifted the knitted cap from her scalp.
Her head was shaved completely down to the bare pale skin, and small inflamed cuts covered her entire scalp.
The vibrant woman he had spent four solid years dreaming about was standing right in front of him, trying her absolute hardest to completely disappear from the face of the earth.
Right at that moment, his mother Patricia had stepped outside onto the wooden deck.
She was dressed in fine silk clothing and adorned with heavy gold jewelry, looking like an elite matriarch who had enjoyed every luxury the new house could possibly provide. Brenda had followed right on her heels, casually scrolling through a brand-new high-end smartphone while carrying an expensive designer purse under her arm.
