One Step Too Far

On the day we got our marriage license, Sonia Gray told me that if we ever slept in separate rooms for more than a week, it meant we had silently agreed to divorce. Every time we got into a fight, she would grab her pillow and run to the other room. And every time, I was the one who had to back down, lower my head, and apologize. She used that threat to keep me wrapped around her pinky for three years. It was my 28th birthday. Once again, she missed our date because of the intern at her workplace. When she came home, she extended diamond cufflinks to me. I did not take it. Sonia frowned at me for a while before saying coldly, "You have a birthday every year. He doesn't get a second life. This isn't a game. I came back as fast as I could after taking Chris to the hospital. Stop throwing a tantrum. How controlling can you be? You're a monster." She went right into the guest room. This time, I did not go after her. 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 me alone standing in the rain just because Chris called her over. I was staring blankly into space when the guest room door suddenly opened. She approached me, and my heart skipped a beat. A bit of ice cream stuck to the corners of my mouth. Sonia let out a resigned sigh and wiped it off with a tissue. "I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean what I said. Yes, I know you hate it when I get too close to him. I promise I'll try my best to keep communication with Chris strictly tied to work." All the unfairness and hurt I had kept bottled up suddenly surged to the surface. My eyes reddened. For the first time in three years, she was the one taking a step back. Before I could even voice how happy I was, she continued, "Someone took a picture of me sending Chris to the hospital and sent it to the work chat. Everyone's calling Chris a homewrecker. He's sick. He shouldn't be dragged into this. I'd like you to clear his name." So much for her taking the first step. So much for feeling moved. She would throw me under the bus again and again for Chris. And now, she had only lowered herself to apologize because of him. For five years, I had poured my heart into loving this woman. Now, I laughed in her face. She took that as a yes. "You're the best, honey. I'll add you into the group. Once you clear his name, you can apologize where everyone can see it. So…" I cut her off. "Don't even think about it." She froze. The tender expression she had a moment ago vanished, replaced by exasperation. "We're innocent, Quincy! Why do you keep going after him? This rumor can very well ruin his life. He's just an intern straight out of college. The poor boy was crying his eyes out on the phone!" I shot up from my seat and met her eyes. 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 and the pain had kept me curled up in bed, I had asked her to bring me some water. Back then, she had called me a pampered prince. A bitter smile curled my lips. It was obvious who Sonia truly loved, even if they had never crossed that final line. She didn't come home for the next three days, but I did not sit around waiting either. I started packing my things up, bit by bit. This house belonged to her even before we were married. Of course I was the one moving out. On the fourth day of our separation, my friend asked me out for some fun. I used to say no to them, since I had to stay home and wait for Sonia. This time, I said yes immediately. For the first time in forever, I finally had an outing. And just my luck, I ran into the two people I least wanted to see. Sonia's eyes lit up for a moment, but then it was replaced by disdain. She frowned. "You came all the way here? God, you're an embarrassment!" I was about to retort when Chris mocked, "Oh, don't be so harsh. He just doesn't want the divorce to go through. There are only three days left, after all." Then he turned to me. "You're embarrassing us men, bro. If it were me, I'd wait until day seven before talking to Ms. Gray." Their friends played along. "Ms. Gray has her husband wrapped right around her pinky. Take some notes, people." The praise was stroking Sonia's ego well. She spoke to me as if she were granting me mercy. "I get it. I'll be home tonight. Leave. You're ruining the vibes." That was not the first time she had said something like that. I used to think nothing of it. But now, for some reason, I hated that tone. I looked at Sonia's smug expression and said coldly, "I couldn't care less even if you wanted to stay at your company forever. And I'm here for something else." I went around them and kept walking into the club. My response surprised them enough to leave them frozen, but Chris snapped out of it first and grabbed my wrist. "Stop pushing your luck, Chris. She's already going home tonight. I don't want to get the brunt of your fury when she gets angry." "You'd love it if we got divorced, Chris. It'd be the perfect opening for you. Cut your crap acting. It's disgusting." I flung Chris' hand away. It was barely a push, but Chris let out a scream dramatic enough to shame a ghost and stumbled backward. He did not fall to the ground. Instead, he fell straight into Sonia's arms. His eyes reddened, and he put on a wounded pout. "I think I should quit my job, Ms. Gray." 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 towel wrapped around his waist. The rest of him was bare as he wandered around the house. Sonia was in the kitchen, making oatmeal. It was unimaginable, given that she never did any chores. The sounds of me walking downstairs drew their attention. Sonia frowned but said nothing. Chris quickly explained, "It's not what you think. I drank too much and threw up everywhere. I lost my keys too, so Ms. Gray had no choice but to bring me here." I snickered. "No choice? I think she very much loved taking you home." Sonia slammed her ladle back into the cauldron and swiveled around. She stared at me, her voice filled with impatience. "Stop while you're ahead, Quincy!" What a joke. She had brought another man home, yet I was the one going too far? The audacity was almost impressive. She thought she could do this only because I held deep love for her. Anyone who loved her even a little less would have left the moment she came up with that silent-divorce threat. I thought love and acceptance would return to me in the same magnitude, but I had forgotten one thing. Bowing to her again and again would only make her think less of me. My silence stretched, and Chris bit his lip. "Sorry for this, Ms. Gray. I think I should leave." He pretended to move toward the door. Sonia grabbed his hand before he could even turn. "But you're barely wearing anything. What if you run into the wrong sort? I'll take you home after breakfast. After your clothes are dried." She turned to me again, her impatience nearly dripping from every word. "First thing in the morning, and you're ruining everyone's day. Sometimes I wish I never married you!" Silence crashed into the room like a mountain. It did not take long for Sonia to realize she had gone too far. Sonia opened her mouth, but I refused to give her time for any explanation. Icily, I said, "That makes two of us, Sonia. You two stay. I'll leave." I went upstairs and came back down ten minutes later with my luggage in tow. Sonia's eyes narrowed. Something close to delight flickered in Chris's eyes, but he quickly covered it with an innocent expression. "You don't have to do this, Quincy. She's just my boss, nothing more. I had nowhere to go and nothing to change into. She only took me in out of charity." I would have ignored him, but Chris had pushed his sickening little act too far. So I snapped at him. 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 this divorce goes through, someone else is going to swoop in right away!" I laughed. She was the one toeing the line of infidelity, but these people thought I should be apologising to her. I texted in the group chat. "We're going through the process as we speak. I'm blocking everyone who told me to suck it up. Bye." That was no threat. I blocked all our mutual friends immediately and asked an attorney to send the divorce papers to Sonia. After that, I checked out of the room and grabbed a ride to the airport. … Sonia was in a meeting, but her mind was somewhere else. She was restless, checking her phone again and again. Still, there was no news from me. She had been waiting for days. After what felt like an eternity, the meeting finally came to an end. The first thing she did after coming out was turning her attention to the reception room, but it was empty. The old me would have begged for reconciliation in less than three days. Now, a full week had passed, and I had not made a single move. She wondered if I was really mad this time. She thought it was just a birthday. In her mind, I was overreacting over something that came around every year. Then something hit her, and her eyes narrowed. She had missed my birthday three years in a row. And every single time, it had been because of Chris. That answered her question. A sliver of guilt crept into her heart. She knew she had gone too far, so she texted me. "I'll take you to the beach once I'm done with work. You've always wanted to have a vacation there." The message failed to send. I had blocked her. A frown creased her forehead. She quickly called me, but only a detached automated voice answered. I had blocked her number too. The air in the office turned a few degrees colder. She was about to ask her assistant to find out which hotel I had been staying at when the assistant came in first. "Ms. Gray, a file from Mr. Maellard." Sonia's frown smoothened out, and her mood buoyed. "And I thought he had grown a spine. In the end, he's begging me anyway. But he's an understanding man. I can let this tantrum slide. Get a watch from the jewelry store and book a reservation at that fancy restaurant on the west side. Tonight, I—" Her words died in her throat the moment she saw what was inside the file.