All Chapters of One Step Too Far: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1 Not Relenting Again

Sonia slammed the door shut like usual. Of course, she did it on purpose. She wanted me to give in and ask for peace. But this time, I stayed seated, quiet as stone. I did not cry or become anxious like I used to.I was tired of living life this way. I did nothing wrong, but every time, I was forced to beg for forgiveness. The air-conditioning was turned up high, but the ice-cream cake on the coffee table was still beginning to melt.Just like this marriage.No matter how much I tried, the cracks never healed. Instead, they grew bigger and more numerous. I scooped up a small dollop of ice cream and put it into my mouth. The sweetness did nothing to wash away the bitterness flooding my heart.We had been married for three years. In the first year, she stayed at her company, helping Chris Shaw amend his proposal while leaving me alone on my birthday. In the second year, she went to the neighboring city with Chris on a work trip. That day had also been my birthday.Now she left m

Chapter 2 First Taste of Freedom

"I'm not interested in Chris' life. Spare me the report. And I'm not going to clear his name either!" My fists were clenched, and my emotions were close to spilling over, but I held them in and kept my voice level.Sonia let out a mirthless laugh. "Fine. From now on, I'm staying at the company. If you still think you're a man, don't even try to talk to me."The door was slammed shut again. Something invisible squeezed around my heart, and the pain nearly stole my breath.Then my phone buzzed. I thought it was Sonia. Instead, it was a message from Chris."Ms. Gray took me to the hospital because I had a papercut. Don't read too much into that. Only insecure guys are paranoid about everything."I stared at the screen for a few quiet moments, but I did not text back or delete the message.Sonia kicked me out of her car and left me stranded in the downpour for Chris. I thought he had suffered a near-fatal injury. In the end, it was nothing but a paper cut.When I had appendicitis an

Chapter 3 He's Leaving

"Everyone's calling me a homewrecker behind my back because Quincy thinks I am! And now he's hitting me. Thank God our colleagues aren't here, but what if she comes after me at work?"Sonia's expression darkened like a storm. She held Chris tightly in her arms and glowered at me. "Apologize to him right now!" she demanded.I met her eyes without backing down. "Not happening!"Her lips pressed into a thin, straight line. "Either you apologize, or we're done!"I had already checked out of this marriage, but hearing those words straight from her still shook me for a moment.I did not let it show. Instead, I sneered. "Fine by me."My mood had been ruined, and I did not want to bring that energy to my friend's outing, so I went straight home. That little episode left me thinking I might not get any sleep, but instead, I slept soundly.When morning came, I woke up only to see Chris in my house. For a second, I wondered if I had woken from one dream into another.Chris had only a towe

Chapter 4 Arrogant Fool

"Oh, please. You had more places to go than you could possibly choose from. Imperia has enough hotels for you to stay in a different one for the rest of your life. You could have bought fresh clothes from any random mall, yet here you are, half-naked in another man's wife's house."Chris froze up. He had no comeback, so he immediately looked at Sonia like an injured puppy begging for help."Quincy—"I shut her down before she could start, "Shut up. I don't want to hear your voice." With that, I left.Three days passed. Then a full week. The promised deadline had arrived.My phone refused to stop buzzing. Our mutual friends barraged my phone with endless texts."You're still mad at her? Come on, she's a softie. She's not even mad at you anymore. Just talk nicely and this will all blow over.""Hey, she's reassigned Chris to another department. You should really stop this tantrum.""It's the last day. Come on, stop acting tough. You can't find a woman like her anywhere else. If

Chapter 5 Gigantic Ego

Sonia's sudden change confused her assistant. "Anything else you want? " the assistant asked.Then Sonia grabbed him by his collar. "Did he send this himself?"Shocked, the assistant shook his head profusely. "No, a courier did. Is it the file? What's wrong with it? I can…"Sonia let go of him right away. Her face was stormy, and she growled, "Get out of my office!"The assistant was about to leave when Sonia stopped him again. "Hold on. I need to use your phone." She took her assistant's phone and called my number.It rang for a long time before the call finally connected. My voice came through immediately. "What do you need, Mr. Lewis?"Sonia's breathing hitched, and her heart skipped a beat.She wanted to apologize. She wanted to ask for reconciliation. But her enormous pride refused to let her lower her head.And so, the first thing she said was, "You blocked me and sent me divorce papers? You think you can threaten me? I had already reassigned Chris to the planning departm

Chapter 6 Job Hunting

Even though I had blocked every single mutual friend, some of them still managed to send me photos of Sonia bringing Chris to that event."We know how much you love Sonia. You're just going to let someone take her away?""Stop being stubborn. You'll regret it!"I deleted the photos and messages without emotion. For eight years I had poured all my feelings into Sonia, and this was what I gained in return.I would be lying if I said I was at peace with the outcome. The sight of Chris and Sonia linking arms still pricked my heart, just a little. But that tiny sting was nowhere near enough to change my mind about the divorce.Time would heal everything. With enough time, I would get over her. If I were to give in and stay weak in this abusive relationship, I would eventually be a broken soul filled with nothing but grudges and resentment. That was not the kind of person I wanted to be.My phone rang. It was a company that had interviewed me. I used to be a brilliant jewelry designe

Chapter 7 Harassment

"Quincy." Her voice betrayed no emotion, if she felt any. "We need to talk."I frowned. "You can talk to my attorney if it's about the divorce. That's the only conversation we have left." I walked past her without even sparing her a glance.Sonia grabbed my wrist. "Stop messing around, Quincy."Even now, she thought this was just some prank. I smirked at her. "We've been together for seven years and married for three, but you know nothing about me. Unlike you, I don't take divorce lightly."She tried to refute me. But in the end, all she said was, "We've been sleeping in separate rooms for two weeks. Quincy, we can still reconcile. I know you were upset about Chris, and I've already fired him. There. Are you happy now?"I chortled. "You can marry him and I couldn't even care less. What you do is none of my business now. Yes, we've been separated for two weeks. According to the rule you came up with, we've already divorced twice. You're free to do whatever you want now. But coming

Chapter 8 His Vacation

Every single promise had been broken. And every time, there had been a different excuse.Then Chris said he wanted to have a work trip in Springville, and by the following month, Sonia got herself a project in that very city, and she flew over with him.More than once, she told me she had never physically cheated on me with Chris. I believed that much, but it did not change the fact that her heart had already belonged to someone else.Sometimes, an emotional affair hurt worse than a physical one.The silver lining in this mess was that I pulled out early enough.As I stood before the sea I had seen so many times in my dream, I took a deep, greedy breath. The sea tasted like freedom.I texted my friend, and he called me right away. "Having fun at the beach?"Without missing a beat, I answered, "You don't know the half of it."My friend fell silent for a moment. Then he stammered, "Uh, man, I'm just asking, but… are you sure you and Sonia can't go back?"That erased some of my s

Chapter 9 Just Like That

The impatience did not escape her at all. Sonia's eyes went red, and her face twisted in agony. "I know I haven't been careful about my boundaries when it comes to Chris. I'm sorry, honey, but I swear, you're the only one I ever cared about. Please, you have to trust me!"That was my first time seeing her coming from such a humble place. Unfortunately, apologies and pretty words had come far too late.The final straw had already snapped the moment she missed my birthday for the third year in a row. And once again, for the same person.Still, in her current state, she looked as if even a soft gust of wind could knock her over. I invited her inside and got her a glass of water.It was a simple act, but it got her staring at me with excitement. She thought I was relenting, but I shattered her fantasy right away."No. Kill that thought right now. I just didn't want you fainting outside my apartment. If your family found out, they'd never stop bothering me. Your mother is more annoying

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