All Chapters of No Way Back: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

I slipped the signed divorce agreement into an envelope and dropped it into the mailbox by the front door. But just as I turned to leave, I heard my mother's voice from inside."Ian, don't feel guilty about taking the position. I'm Jensen's mother, and I made the decision for him. We're all in agreement—the placement should go to you."Even though I had already heard Natalie say that my family approved of everything, seeing it with my own eyes still made my heart ache.My feet refused to move, as though they had taken root in the ground. Through the crack in the door, I watched my mother carry steaming platters of seafood from the kitchen and set them on the table one after another."Ian, I remembered that lobster's your favorite. I bought plenty today just to celebrate you getting the placement. Eat as much as you like. Don't be shy."She had never shown me that kind of care. Growing up, she could not even remember that I was allergic to peaches, yet she remembered someone else's

I stared blankly at my mother.I had always known she had never loved me as much as I had wanted her to. But this was the first time she had ever struck me with such force. All to protect the man who had come between my marriage."Jensen, how could you insult Ian like that?" my sister snapped. "Just because you cheated doesn't mean everyone else is as morally impaired as you are."I looked at my younger sister, standing so self-righteously beside my wife, helping her spread lies about me, and found myself unable to describe what I felt.Just three years earlier, at my wedding to Natalie, she had cried harder than anyone. She had clung to me, saying she could not bear to see her brother leave home.Perhaps she could not stand the way I was looking at her now. Slowly, she turned her face away, avoiding my eyes.Everything had changed.Silently, I slipped the wedding ring off my finger for the first time in three years.The years under the mountain sun had left my skin deeply tann

After leaving Riverton, I threw myself into the vast northwestern wilderness.The skies here were filled with blowing sand, and the research institute stood in lonely isolation. For dozens of miles in every direction, there was not another soul in sight.I buried myself in research data, determined to regain the level of expertise I had once had three years ago. Keeping myself occupied left me with little time to dwell on the things I would rather forget.Even so, nightmares still found me from time to time.Sometimes I dreamed of being coiled tightly in the grip of a giant python, unable to breathe. Other times I dreamed that my hands were covered in painful frostbite during the dead of winter. The itching became unbearable, and I would scratch until my palms were streaked with blood.Also, occasionally, I would hear people accusing me of cheating on my wife, but I could never make out their faces. All I saw were countless fingers pointed at me as they denied everything I had eve

My mother and my sister were standing by the elevator. I had no idea how long they had been there or how much they had overheard. But the moment my mother saw Ian, she stormed over and slapped him across the face."I should've guessed it! A heartless ingrate like you, someone who threw me out the moment you got what you wanted, could never have been the good man who helped me through my darkest days."My sister stood nearby, too ashamed to meet my eyes. "Jensen… I'm sorry. I jumped to conclusions and thanked the wrong person for saving my life…"The apartment dissolved into chaos.I quietly stepped aside, avoiding the hands my mother and sister reached out toward me.Then, after remaining silent the entire time, Natalie slowly rose to her feet and walked toward Ian.Seeing the look on her face, Ian's expression turned pale as he instinctively shuffled backward. "Natalie… What are you doing? I'm your savior's husband! Don't do anything rash!"This time, Natalie showed no mercy. S