All Chapters of Past the Crossroads of No Return: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

Even on a day meant for family reunions, the streets appeared strangely empty.I took out my phone, planning to call a ride. Before I could open the app, I saw Willow Steele's Instagram post. She was holding our daughter, Naomi Johnson, together with Luther Lloyd.The three of them smiled warmly at the camera. The caption read, "Our family of three."My fingers tightened around my phone.My partner of six years, Willow, had never been one to post on social media—not when we were dating, getting married, or raising Naomi. She had never shared any of it.It wasn't like I hadn't asked her why before. Her answer had always been the same. She said it wasn't necessary. Now, looking at that intimate family photo, I finally understood what she meant.I shook my head, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. Then, I dialed my supervisor.For years, my company had wanted to send me abroad for further training. I kept putting it off because I couldn't bear to leave Willow and Naomi behind.Now, a

Chapter 2

I ignored Willow and headed straight for the master bedroom. The moment I entered, I saw Luther lying on the very bed she and I shared.I had barely taken a second look when Willow snapped at me, "Luther had a bit too much to drink and isn't feeling well, so I let him rest in our bedroom. Must you make a big deal out of it? You're a grown man. Act like it!"Honestly, I don't know how you do it. Look at other husbands—none of them are as paranoid as you! And besides, if there really were anything going on between Luther and me, I wouldn't have married you at all."Just then, Naomi ran out of her room. She stuck out her tongue at me and shoved me. "Daddy, you're the worst. I hate you! Mr. Lloyd is the daddy I want!"I looked at Naomi, at the undisguised dislike in her eyes, and something in my chest twisted sharply.She had been frail since birth. Willow was always busy following Luther around, so I spent countless days and nights taking Naomi to the hospital and caring for her.Ye

Chapter 3

In the end, Naomi gave that drawing to Luther. She even said, "In my heart, Mr. Lloyd will forever be the daddy I love most!"As Willow walked past me, her voice was cold. "Do whatever you want with the soup."Normally, knowing she had made it herself, I would've forced myself to eat it, no matter what. This time, however, I poured them straight down the sink.I also sent a message to my lawyer, telling him to include a clause that I would voluntarily give up custody of Naomi.For the next two days, Willow and Naomi didn't come home. I knew what they had been doing exactly because everything I had to know was on Willow's Instagram.In one post, Naomi sat on Luther's shoulders, grinning and holding up a cotton candy. Willow stood nearby, looking at them with a happy smile. The caption read, "Our simple happiness."At a bistro, Willow fed Luther a bite of cut steak, smiling the whole time.More glaring photos like these flashed past my eyes. I said nothing and simply hit "like".

Chapter 4

Luther's lips turned downward, as if he were apologetic. "Skyler, are you upset with me? I'm sorry. I know I caused all of this."As he stepped closer, however, his voice dropped to a volume that only I could hear. His words turned vicious. "Do you know why Willow got drunk five years ago and let you have your way?"A cruel smile curled at his lips. "It was because I told her I wanted a baby. I didn't expect her to down half a bottle of red wine right away, only to stumble into the arms of the wrong man."When she came to me pregnant with your child, she was sobbing, said she couldn't let the kid be born without a father."He brushed imaginary dust off his sleeve, his movement elegant yet humiliating. "I pitied her, so I let her keep the baby. Otherwise, what made you think someone like you was ever worthy of being with her?"I stared at Luther's mocking smile.So, the child I had longed for and cherished had been nothing more than an accident, a mistake. No wonder Willow had bee

Chapter 5

Two months later, I was in Melrose, closing a major contract. The champagne glass barely touched my lips when an unknown number rang."Naomi has a fever, Skyler. She's asking for her dad."I snorted coldly. "We're divorced, Willow. Besides, doesn't she have a new daddy?"The line went still, disbelief heavy in the silence. "Oh, cut the passive-aggressive crap. If she hadn't hit 102 degrees and started crying for you, I wouldn't be calling you at all."My fingers paused on the stem of the champagne glass. The chill seeped into my skin, just like the countless early mornings I had been woken by her calls.Back then, Willow would always say things like, "Naomi kicked off her blanket again" or "Her teacher said she refused to nap."Even in the middle of an international meeting, I would get up immediately and book the earliest flight home. Now, all those endless sacrifices and overextended care had long since vanished with the signatures on the divorce papers."Willow," I said icily

Chapter 6

In the past, even a single frown from Willow would have had me asking instantly, "What's wrong?" And if Naomi whispered, "I want Daddy," I would've crossed half the globe to get back to her.Yet earlier, I sounded so detached, as if I were talking about someone else's life. Willow was shocked that I had even hung up on her.She stared at the darkened phone screen, an unfamiliar sense of panic crawling through her chest. Something important—long buried by her indifference—had shattered completely, never to be pieced back together.In the living room, Naomi's cries pierced the air. "Daddy! Daddy!"Luther clicked his tongue impatiently as he paced. "Seriously, what are you crying for? It's just a fever—do you have to scream like this? Just get her to the hospital already, Willow!"Naomi's wailing cut through Willow like a knife. She swallowed the panic rising in her chest and quickly grabbed his arm. "Look, Luther! She's shivering from the fever! Do you think you can take her inste

Chapter 7

Willow texted Luther, but it was like shouting into the void, for he never responded.Glancing at Naomi's peaceful sleeping face, she had no choice but to ask a nurse to watch Naomi while she went out to buy some food.Sitting down to a stiff, cold lunch, she suddenly remembered how I had once requested the same of her.How had she responded then? Right—she had been busy looking after Luther and snapped at me with something along the line of "You're a man with working limbs, right? Go get it yourself."The hospital bench felt cold under her. She stared at the closed hospital room door, covering her mouth as tears ran down her face. All at once, everything became clear.All the thoughtful gestures she had taken for granted had been my way of showing love, built up little by little every day. Those "annoying" reminders she had once rolled her eyes at were actually my way of showing I cared.Now, she was finally experiencing what it felt like to be the one left behind.…Naomi rub

Chapter 8

"See you next time at our usual spot, Luther," the woman teased.Luther chuckled lowly, his hand squeezing her hip roughly, voice laced with crude flirtation. "Just wait. Next time, you'll be begging."Their shameless laughter hit Willow like a swarm of needles, each one pricking deep into her ears and eyes. She froze in the entryway, the chandelier above spinning in her vision.For a second, she felt like a clown who had wandered onto someone else's stage. Even breathing seemed intrusive. Only after that woman sauntered off down the hallway did Willow manage to find her voice."Who is she, Luther?"Luther slowly loosened his tie, his gaze sweeping over her with a cold smirk. "Does it matter?"He tossed the tie onto the couch. "Don't forget that we're just friends at most, Willow. Aren't you taking this a little too seriously?""Friends?" she snapped, her knuckles going white from clenching.This was the first time she had ever spoken to him this way. Even she was startled by t

Chapter 9

The door slammed shut with a deafening bang, making Willow's ears ring. She slid down along the wall and collapsed onto the floor.So, all those years of deep devotion had been nothing but a carefully crafted lie. The loyalty she had been so proud of had been a cheap joke in Luther's eyes.Meanwhile, the man she had cast aside—the one who had quietly cleaned after her messes—had been the only one who ever truly cared about her.Outside, the sky faded into the pale gray of dawn.Willow curled up into a ball, finally understanding what it meant to make a mistake so grave that there was no turning back. For the first time, she desperately needed me.She wanted to tell me she had trusted the wrong person and that deep down, I was the one she had always loved.…Willow managed to track down my whereabouts through my former colleagues and immediately booked a flight.When Naomi found out they were going to see me, a rare smile lit up her face. She ran into her bedroom and grabbed a d

Chapter 10

"No, Daddy!" Naomi suddenly screamed, her tears falling like rainwater, pouring down the front of my shirt.Her tiny body shook violently as she gripped my pants so tightly her knuckles turned white. "You used to love me the most, Daddy! You'd tell me the story of The Three Little Bears before bed!"You'd save all the strawberries on the cake just for me! You said you'd always be with me, Daddy!"I knelt so we were at eye level. Her flushed little face was scrunched up, her nose bright red from crying.She looked so much like she had when she was three—red-eyed, clutching a half-eaten cheesecake, stumbling into my arms…Back then, she would tilt her little face up at me and say in that babyish voice, "Daddy, you eat first."I would then take the cake from her hand, melted by her sweetness.I gently brushed away the tears clinging to her chin. My voice was soft, but firm in a way even I hadn't expected. "Naomi, darling, Daddy loves you very much, and that is a fact that will neve

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP