No Turning Back

I'd been secretly married to my CEO husband for six years, and for six years, he’d refused to let our son call him Dad.

After he missed Leo’s birthday yet again, thanks to his personal assistant, Chloe, I finally pulled out the divorce papers. It was time for Leo and me to leave for good.

The man who was always so composed lost control, storming into the office like a madman, demanding to know where I was going.

But this time, Leo and I wouldn't look back.

1
"Mr. Henderson, I'm heading overseas for further studies next month. Here's my resignation."

My manager's eyebrows shot up. "That's so sudden. Are you sure, Olivia?"

I offered the excuse I'd carefully rehearsed. "Leo's father lives in Australia. I'm planning to take Leo there so our family can finally be together."

Mr. Henderson nodded, understanding. "Well, that makes sense. It's been tough for you raising a child alone here; we all thought you were a single mom."

I managed a faint smile. I wasn't before, but I was about to be.

Stepping out of his office, I practically collided with Ethan Miller and Chloe Davis walking toward me.

Ethan Miller was my boss, and the father of my son.

Seven years ago, I was his personal assistant. One night, a drunken haze turned into a nightmare, and soon after, our son was on the way.

This was our sixth year of secret marriage.

And his sixth year of refusing to let Leo call him "Dad."

Ethan’s pace was deliberately slow, as if to accommodate the woman by his side.

Chloe held a report in one hand and clutched the hem of Ethan’s suit jacket with the other, a sickeningly sweet display.

As we brushed past each other, my heart gave a painful little lurch. I couldn't help but speak. "Ethan…"

He paused, his expression chilling. "Ms. Green."

His formal, detached tone was a clear warning, a reminder: This is the office. We are merely colleagues.

I understood the unspoken message and pulled my scattered emotions back into myself. "Mr. Miller."

Ethan gave a noncommittal grunt and continued walking, as if I were a stranger on the street.

A bitter laugh escaped me, and I swallowed the words about my resignation.

It wouldn't matter to him anyway.

My phone screen lit up. It was a text from Leo’s smartwatch.

[Mommy, is Daddy coming home for my birthday?]

I froze, instinctively turning my head.

I saw Ethan leaning in to talk to Chloe, his head bent close to hers. Someone passed by, and he instinctively pulled Chloe protectively into his arms, his eyes filled with an undeniable tenderness.

Swallowing the bitter ache in my chest, I still sent Ethan a message.

[It's Leo’s birthday tonight. Are you free?]

Across the hallway, I watched him pick up his phone. Less than three seconds later, he put it down, his expression unchanging.

Staring at the chat screen, still devoid of a reply, I laughed, a sharp, self-deprecating sound.

Olivia Green, haven't you learned your lesson yet? What do you expect from a heart that was always cold?

I shoved my phone back into my pocket, took a deep breath, and walked away.

Ethan Miller, you’d be free very soon.

2
After leaving the office, I went straight to Leo’s preschool.

The moment he saw me, Leo’s first words were, "Mommy, it's my birthday today!"

His second: "Mommy, will Daddy celebrate with me?"

On the bustling street, my eyes instantly welled up.

"Your daddy, he…"

Before I could finish, my phone chimed.

Ethan had finally replied.

[Free. Coming home.]

A surge of surprise and joy rushed through me. I practically shouted, "Don't worry, Leo, Daddy's coming home!"

Leo clapped his hands, then threw himself into my arms, bouncing with excitement.

In six years of marriage, this was the first time Ethan had ever agreed to celebrate Leo's birthday.

That evening, I cooked a table full of Leo’s favorite dishes, and he finished his homework early, eyes wide with anticipation.

One hour, two hours, three hours…

I sent text after text, each more hopeful than the last.

But, as usual, there was no reply.

Leo seemed to understand. He looked at me, his small voice filled with caution. "Mommy, is Daddy too busy?"

A pang of pain hit my chest. I wanted to explain, to defend, but no words came out.

Finally, all I could say was, "It's okay. Mommy will always be with you."

Leo didn’t ask again. He quietly picked up his birthday hat.

"Mommy, can you put it on me?"

I nodded, reaching for it. But my eyes caught a glimpse of Chloe Davis’s latest Instagram story.

[Such a perfect day. Loved every minute.]

The accompanying photo was a gourmet meal from a high-end restaurant.

Though her face wasn't visible, I immediately noticed the wedding band peeking out from the corner of the frame.

It was the ring I'd specifically chosen for our wedding.

But he’d always worn it on his pinky finger, a deliberate choice, I knew, to avoid any suggestion of commitment.

The irony burned.

The ring meant to symbolize our marriage was his declaration of single status.

On our son's sixth birthday, he was having a candlelit dinner with his mistress at a fancy restaurant.

All the bitterness within me transformed into a chilling calm.

I 'liked' the photo, then put my phone down.

I turned to Leo and placed the birthday hat on his head.

"Happy birthday, Leo."

In the soft candlelight, Leo closed his eyes and pressed his hands together.

"My birthday wish is to be with Mommy forever."

I picked up my phone and captured the moment.

The thought of leaving, which had been a seedling in my mind, now fully blossomed into a towering tree.

"Okay," I said, my voice firm. "Mommy promises you that."

That night, neither of us mentioned Ethan again.

It was as if our home had always only belonged to the two of us.

After Leo fell asleep, I pulled the divorce papers from the drawer, already prepared.

The last shred of doubt in my heart finally dissolved.

At two in the morning, Ethan finally came home.

When he saw the cake on the table, a flicker of regret, or perhaps just annoyance, crossed his face.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I forgot."

I found it laughable. All those messages, all those reminders on his phone.

Had he truly not seen them?

Or was the sweetness of his other life simply too intoxicating, making him forget everything else?

I took out the divorce papers, turning to the last page, and handed them to him, forcing myself to sound composed. "Could you sign this, please…"

Before I could finish, Ethan’s phone rang.

Chloe’s slightly panicked voice drifted from the speaker. "Mr. Miller, I think the power's out at my place. Could you come stay with me? I'm so scared."

Ethan instantly stood up, his eyes flashing with urgency. "Wait there. I'm on my way."

He hung up, then, without even glancing at the document, scribbled his signature.

I stepped back, silently watching him leave.

Ethan Miller, you will forever remember this.

This home is the one you deliberately abandoned.

3
The next day, I went back to the office to hand over my work.

Ethan approached me, offering a beautifully wrapped gift box.

"This is for Leo's birthday. I forgot to give it to him yesterday."

I paused, then took the gift and opened it.

It was a small dog toy.

Leo’s biggest fear was dogs.

When he was five, Ethan took him to an amusement park.

Midway through, he spotted a friend and let go of Leo's hand.

My young son got lost in the crowd.

When we finally found him, he was huddled on the side of the road, trembling from fear of a stray dog.

Since then, dogs had been Leo's permanent nightmare.

And the very person responsible for that trauma was now giving him a dog toy as a gift.

I couldn’t tell if anger or disappointment was stronger. I casually put the box aside.

"Thanks," I said, my voice flat.

Ethan looked at me strangely, then seemed to remember something. "Chloe’s apartment lost power, so I'm having her stay at the house."

First, search for and download the MotoNovel app from Google. Then, open the app and use the code "244598" to read the entire book.