Todos los capítulos de Cross the Boundary, Then Walk Away: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

At two in the morning, Gunther opened the bedroom door. He carried an elegant thermos flask and walked straight to the bed. "I knew you'd still be awake. I picked up some seafood chowder from the south side of the city on my way home." I glanced at it. The bag outside was wet, and the chowder inside was completely cold. I stayed where I was and quietly said, "Thanks, but I'm allergic to seafood." Gunther stopped loosening his tie and frowned. "Really? Why haven't you mentioned that before?" I forced a small smile and said nothing. During our second year of marriage, Gunther had brought me chowder from the same place. After eating it, I went into shock and was rushed to the emergency room. He had not come. His excuse was that he would not deal with emergencies during his personal time. Afterward, he had even hugged me, which was rare, and promised he would not forget this. And yet, he had forgotten this completely anyway. The last flicker of emotion faded from me. He

The next evening, I prepared a whole range of dishes for dinner. Gunther paused as he came through the door. "Why did you suddenly cook?" "I wanted to have dinner with you," I said. He looked at me, then pulled out a chair and sat down, something he rarely did. I served him a bowl of tomato beef stew. He took a spoonful, and his brow relaxed a little. I studied his face, then suddenly asked, "Gunther, if someone calls you tonight, can you not go?" He paused with his spoon still in his hand, his expression hard to read. "I'm not going anywhere tonight." Something in my chest loosened a little. Then, his phone rang, and Chloe's name appeared on the screen. He glanced at it but did not answer. It rang a second time, then a third. Finally, he picked up and asked, "What is it?" A sobbing voice came through the phone. Within ten seconds, Gunther's expression went from calm to tense. "Stay where you are. I'll be right there." His chair screeched across the floor. "She's ha

Mrs. Watson hesitated, as if she had more to say. "She has gone out to take care of something," Gunther cut her off coldly and bit into a slice of toast. It tasted like cardboard. He picked up his phone, opened Messenger, and found his conversation with Nicole. He typed: [Where are you?] Then he gave it another thought. Reaching out first would make him seem too eager, as if he cared. Gunther deleted the message, put his phone down with a blank expression, and drove to the office. He was feeling off all day at work. During a meeting with senior management that morning, he paused halfway through speaking. Out of habit, he waited for someone to bring him a cup of coffee served at precisely the right temperature. However, the conference room door stayed closed. He waited a few seconds. No one came in. The room was silent, and every member of management looked at him in confusion. He frowned, cleared his throat, and continued, but his thoughts were a mess. Just then,

Nicole's POVThe sky over Lumiville was always so blue. I had just finished a full day of classes, carrying a bolt of traditionally dyed satin I had just bought. I left the academy to look for inspiration by the Sein River when suddenly, a black Bentley stopped in front of me. The door opened and a familiar figure rushed out, though he somehow seemed like a stranger. It was Gunther. He was a complete disaster. His expensive suit was wrinkled, as though he had not changed it in days. Dark stubble covered his jaw, and his bloodshot eyes were fixed on me. He practically ran over, opening his arms and wanting to pull me into an embrace. Instinctively, I turned aside and stepped back, holding my fabric and avoiding his touch. His arms froze in midair, and so did the urgent, elated look on his face. "Nicole..." His voice was raw, with a fragile note of disbelief. "Come back with me." I looked at him quietly and said nothing. He stepped forward, his voice urgent and pleadin

Three years later, I was at the Oceanton Fashion Week. As an emerging designer of Kentran descent, I presented my graduation collection, "Boundary," in the closing show. When the last model finished walking the runway, the lights went dark, leaving a single spotlight on the runway entrance. I slowly walked out in a pure white asymmetric gown I had designed myself. My design statement appeared on the large screen behind me. [This collection is dedicated to every woman who has been hurt in love and finally chosen to let the other person keep their boundaries while she keeps her freedom.] As the statement ended, thunderous applause filled the room. I stood in the center of the runway, smiling as I bowed to the audience. My gaze swept across the seats, and I paused briefly. Gunther sat in the middle of the front row. He had lost a lot of weight. His once sharp features had softened, and he stared straight at me with red eyes. In his hands was a large bouquet of white roses in f