Chapter 5: The Point of No Return

Courtnie walked into the kitchen, her eyes filled with concern. “Nate, what’s going on? You’ve been so distant lately.”

Nate took a deep breath, the words sticking in his throat. “Courtnie, I ... I want a divorce.”

Courtnie’s eyes widened in shock, her body freezing. “What? Nate, where is this coming from? I don’t understand.”

Nate looked away, unable to meet her gaze. “I just ... I need some space. I need to figure some things out.”

Courtnie’s shock turned to anger, her voice shaking. “Figure things out? Nate, we have a family. We have children. You can’t just leave us.”

Nate felt a pang of guilt, but his resolve didn’t waver. He knew what he had to do. He sent a picture of the divorce application to Alex, a sense of relief washing over him. He had done it. He had made his choice.

But the divorce was far from simple. Courtnie wanted half of the estate, alimony, and 50/50 custody of the kids with child support. Nate wanted to be with his kids, but Alex had other plans.

“No kids,” Alex said, his voice firm. “You’re moving in here with me, and you’re going to give me all of the proceeds from the divorce. Offer her full custody of the kids in exchange for no child support. No alimony either. I don’t want her to take any of your money. It belongs to me. In fact, effective immediately, I want you to redirect your paychecks to my account.”

Nate gulped, the reality of his situation hitting him like a punch to the gut. This was moving so fast, and he barely knew Alex. But he was intoxicated by Alex’s power, drawn to his dominance like a moth to a flame. It didn’t take much for Nate to agree, his desire to serve overriding his doubts and fears.

The next day, Nate rerouted his paychecks to Alex’s account, a sense of finality washing over him. He was really doing this. He was leaving his family, his life, everything he knew, to serve Alex.

As he packed his bags, his eyes lingered on the photos of his children, their smiling faces a stark reminder of what he was leaving behind. He felt a pang of guilt, of loss, but he pushed it aside. He had made his choice, and there was no turning back.

He arrived at Alex’s apartment, his bags in hand, his heart pounding in his chest. Alex opened the door, a smirk on his lips, his eyes cold and calculating.

“Welcome home, Nate,” he said, stepping aside to let Nate in. Nate entered the apartment, the door closing behind him with a final, resounding click.