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Chapter 56: The Wounds That Never Healed
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2025-11-12 20:00:19Ashley's eyes flashed. "What about her?"
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You might think she sunk into this depression because I left her. But the truth is, she was already falling apart long before that. This is part of the reason we couldn't make it work as a marriage. She was paranoid. She was controlling. At one point, she even tried to keep me from going to work every day. I could have stayed home and withered away in her anger... or I could leave and keep some semblance of my sanity. I made the right choice, if you ask me."
Ashley stared at him, eyes wide with incredulity. "So, you chose to leave the hell that she made, and you never looked back. Did you ever stop to consider what this would do to me? Your daughter?" Her voice cracked slightly, but she maintained her composure. "Any man can father a child, Stephen. But it takes a man to be a father."<
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He Asked for an Open Marriage, I Walked Away Chapter 59: The Storm Shelter
Ashley turned and saw it too, the house huddling against the trees like a frightened child. It was small and had an aura of long abandonment about it, but it had a roof and that was good enough for now.They opened the half-ajar door and stepped inside, shutting it behind them. The air was humid, smelling slightly of mildew and dust. Broken furniture littered the room: a wooden chair, a cracked mirror, a fireplace that hadn't seen use in years.Nathan rummaged in a drawer on the mantle and found a box of matches. With some effort, he managed to strike a fire using the handful of dry wood he'd found in a corner. Warm light flooded the room, chasing away the shadows.Ashley rubbed her arms, still shivering. Her clothes were drenched. Nathan noticed and yanked off his hoodie, holding it out to her. "Put this on. You'll catch a cold like this."
He Asked for an Open Marriage, I Walked Away Chapter 60: Fever Night
Once inside the apartment, the heat of the room was almost surreal after the cold outside. Nathan took her jacket off, tossing it over the back of a chair. It was still wet and heavy from the rain. He handed her a towel, and Ashley took it, tucking it against her chest. "You should try to rest," Nathan said. "You've had a long day. I'll just sleep in the guest room tonight. If you need anything, just call."Ashley nodded, the towel held close to her chest. "Alright, Nate. Thank you."He smiled faintly. "Don't be so formal with me, Ash."Ashley looked at him for a moment, then gave a shy smile. "I'm sorry. I'm still not used to it.""I know," he replied, his voice a low whisper. "Good night, Ash.""Good night to you too, Nate."Ashley went into her room, leaving Nathan in the hallway
He Asked for an Open Marriage, I Walked Away Chapter 58: A Place of Her Own
She smiled slightly, but didn't say anything.They had been driving for about an hour when the car slowed down and turned onto a small, dirt road. The land was opening up before them now. Ten acres of it. Quiet countryside, where the only sound was the occasional chirping of birds. A nearby trickle of a stream could be heard, and there was a distinct smell of wet earth.Nathan pulled over. "We made it."Ashley got out of the car, heels sinking slightly into the soft earth. She took a deep breath, surveying the open land around her. There was peace and quiet in this property, shaded by tall trees on all sides. They almost seemed to rise up and form a green wall against the steel-gray sky."This is it, then," Nathan said, walking up beside her. "Ten acres, like you wanted. Private. Quiet. Secure. No close neighbors to hear the gentle whirring o
He Asked for an Open Marriage, I Walked Away Chapter 57: A World on the Edge
Her eyes were intent, her fingers precise. This was her element, in this place of numbers and molecular models and interminable hours that bled into nights and nights."Hello, Erick," she said as her friend, the CEO, joined the video conference. "I'm wrapping up phase three of the new drug's clinical trial."Erick blinked, his expression clearly impressed. "Already? That's fantastic, Ash. How's the progress report?"Ashley smiled weakly. "The compound is working better than we had hoped. It locates the drug-resistant bacteria through a metabolic pathway that hasn't been tried before. Our bioinformatics team was able to map out exactly where the chink in the bacteria's armor is. It's precise. It's lethal to the bacteria but has no ill effects on the host cells."Erick widened his eyes. "That's good news.
He Asked for an Open Marriage, I Walked Away Chapter 56: The Wounds That Never Healed
Ashley's eyes flashed. "What about her?"He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You might think she sunk into this depression because I left her. But the truth is, she was already falling apart long before that. This is part of the reason we couldn't make it work as a marriage. She was paranoid. She was controlling. At one point, she even tried to keep me from going to work every day. I could have stayed home and withered away in her anger... or I could leave and keep some semblance of my sanity. I made the right choice, if you ask me."Ashley stared at him, eyes wide with incredulity. "So, you chose to leave the hell that she made, and you never looked back. Did you ever stop to consider what this would do to me? Your daughter?" Her voice cracked slightly, but she maintained her composure. "Any man can father a child, Stephen. But it takes a man to be a father."
He Asked for an Open Marriage, I Walked Away Chapter 55: The Missing Formulas
The building was quiet when they arrived. Disinfectant stung their noses as the door slid open. The lab was closed for the day, and the normal white noise of instruments and computers was only a muted backdrop to the tension of the situation. Jamie was already there waiting, a large bundle of printed reports in his hands as he rose to his feet from the chair behind the central desk."Jamie," Ashley said, hurrying to her assistant. "What did you find?"Jamie extended the folder to her. "We have everything. The files from your server, their timestamps, which ones were accessed and in what order. Everything the hacker was able to extract."Ashley rifled through the papers, her eyes skimming the list. Halfway down the page, her thumb came to a stop. Her body stilled.
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