Lahat ng Kabanata ng He Asked for an Open Marriage, I Walked Away: Kabanata 51 - Kabanata 60

Ashley stared at him. Her voice was the same placid tone as before. "You better. Look what kind of woman you have brought here. All she came here to do was embarrass herself."Miranda yanked her arm out of Stephen's grasp. "Let go of me. I can leave by myself, thank you very much." She snapped, pivoting on her heel and striding out of the door. The uncomfortable silence remained long after she left. The guests murmured once more, some pretending to drink their wine, others avoiding eye contact. Nathan placed a hand on Ashley's. "Are you okay?" She nodded, her face unreadable. "Yes. I just need to compose myself." "Take your time," Nathan said softly, "We'll leave after the toast." On the other side of the country, many thousands of miles away, another storm was building. Harvey West slammed his laptop shut after openi

Harvey didn't say anything. Instead, he brought his fist back and swung with everything he had. The punch connected full force with Nathan's face.Staggering backwards a step, Nathan touched his lip. "What the hell, Harvey?""How dare you take Ashley away from me?" Harvey screamed, his voice breaking. "Who do you think gave you the right?"Nathan's jaw clenched. He said nothing, just punched him back, hard. The thud of flesh on flesh echoed down the hall."Enough!" Nathan snarled. "Ashley and I are married. Harvey. Between you and me, who do you think has the right now?"Harvey glared at him, breathing heavily. "I knew it, I knew it from the beginning. The minute you came into her life you had an ulterior motive. You pretended to protect her, but this was your plan all along. She was your endg

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."

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

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."