All Chapters of One Point Short of Love: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The wedding ring sank straight to the bottom of the wine glass with a sharp clink.Hallie Shaw stared down at it for a moment, wrapped a napkin around her fingers, and fished the ring out."Throwing a public tantrum: eighty points," she said, setting the ring on the table, her voice cold. "Scott, stop making everyone uncomfortable."The surrounding laughter instantly died down.Miles Allen quickly wiped his wine-splashed trousers and hurried to step between us."Hallie, don't blame Scott. He just cares about you too much," Miles said with a meek expression. "Rings shouldn't be thrown around like that, Scott. You should put it back on."I looked at his outstretched hand, but didn't move.On his pinky finger sat a blue diamond ring.I had designed that ring myself last year. Hallie had claimed the finished piece had flaws and wasn't good enough for me, so she had sent it away to be destroyed.Turns out, "destroyed" just meant it ended up on Miles' hand."What a nice-looking rin

I stood on the icy steps outside, dialing the number of my former mentor, Professor Thomas."Professor, about the reinstatement evaluation you mentioned last time, is that offer still on the table?"A heavy silence lingered over the line for a long moment."Scott, didn't you personally send an email saying your physical and mental health weren't fit for the job, telling me never to reach out to you again?"I froze. "I never said that."Moments later, Professor Thomas forwarded the email to my inbox.It was sent directly from my personal email address. Right beside the signature at the bottom was Hallie’s email signature.When I confronted her, Hallie admitted it without a shred of hesitation."I had my assistant send it."I slammed the printed email onto her desk. "What right do you have to turn down my work on my behalf?""We had just gotten married back then, and you were flying to a dozen countries every month. How could you have maintained our relationship with a job like

When Hallie got home, the first thing she noticed was the document sitting on the desk.Without turning on the lights, she walked straight over and flipped to the last page."At least he listened," she muttered.But as her eyes locked onto the title, her movement froze. It wasn't the authorization agreement, but a divorce settlement.Half of the study had been completely cleared out. My books, my clothes, my personal documents were all gone.Hallie pulled out her phone and dialed my number, but only received an automated operator response.Miles, who had followed her inside, spoke up softly. "Scott's probably just trying to scare you. If you go comfort him a little, everything will be fine.""He won't leave," Hallie said, sounding as if she were convincing herself. "He doesn't have a job or his own income. Where could he possibly go?"She pushed open the bedroom door and saw the small box sitting on the nightstand.The wedding ring lay right on top. Beneath it was the biopsy p

Six months later, I wrapped up an international negotiation in Alderney.Nora Damson handed me a thermos. "The doctor told you to cut back on coffee.""It was only one cup today.""You said the exact same thing last week."I took the thermos with a smile. "Since when did Ms. Damson start managing my drink choices?""It’s not managing, it’s reminding." She passed me the meeting minutes. "No one has the right to score your judgment, including me."I looked down at the documents in my hands.Even after returning to the workforce, I still subconsciously refined every single pause in my speech out of habit.After my very first meeting, I had asked Nora how I performed.All she said was, "Finishing it is your answer."Only then did I slowly realize that not everyone stands around waiting for me to make a mistake.My assistant, Dan, pushed the door open. "Mr. Wilson, the representatives from Nexura Group have arrived."I looked up to find Hallie standing outside the doorway, notic

The emergency meeting at Nexura Group lasted six hours. When Hallie finally walked out of the conference room, she was no longer the CEO.The Board of Directors concluded that her long-term abuse of power and rampant nepotism had caused severe financial losses across multiple projects. On top of that, the confidential company data leaked by Miles had exposed the firm to massive third-party compensation claims.Her mother slammed the resignation letter directly in front of her face. "You wrecked the entire company over a man. Are you satisfied now?"Hallie picked up the resignation letter. "It's my fault."That evening, she came to find me to sign the final equity restructuring agreement.I scanned through the clauses. "You're giving up ten percent of your personal shares?""It's to compensate the international team members who were fired.""And the board agreed to this?""They had no reason to refuse."I signed my name and passed the document back to her. Yet Hallie made no mo