Ethan didn't sleep. He lay in bed next to Vanessa, listening to her breathe, watching the ceiling fan spin lazy circles in the darkness. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw those messages. Last night was incredible. The photos. Her smile. Around three AM, Vanessa's phone buzzed on her nightstand. She reached for it instinctively, still half-asleep, and smiled at whatever she saw before setting it back down. Even in her sleep, she was texting him. Ethan waited until her breathing evened out again, then slipped out of bed. He grabbed his laptop from the home office and sat in the kitchen, the only light coming from the screen's glow. He needed to think. To process. To figure out what the hell he was going to do. Part of him wanted to wake her up right now, throw the phone in her face, demand answers. But another part—the analytical part that had made him good at his job—knew he needed more information first. He'd seen enough to know she was cheating. But for how long? How

The lawyer's letter arrived by courier at 9 AM the next morning. Ethan signed for it while Noah ate breakfast, the envelope heavy with expensive letterhead. He waited until Noah was distracted by cartoons before opening it. Law Offices of Morrison, Welsh & Associates He recognized the name. One of the most aggressive family law firms in the city. Of course Vanessa had hired them. The letter was three pages of legal language that boiled down to a simple threat: Sign the settlement agreement, give Vanessa primary custody with Ethan getting every other weekend, accept a minimal division of assets, or prepare for a protracted legal battle that would drain his finances and destroy his reputation. Attached was a proposed custody arrangement that was laughable. Every other weekend. Wednesday evenings for dinner. Alternating holidays. Like he was some deadbeat dad who'd abandoned his family instead of the parent who'd been home every day for the past six months. His phone rang. Un

The partnership meeting with Tom went better than Ethan had dared to hope. "I have to admit, I'm relieved," Tom said, leaning back in his office chair. "When you asked to meet this morning, I thought you were going to tell me you were quitting. Your wife's IPO and all that." Ethan forced a casual smile. "Vanessa's got a great team. She doesn't need me to sacrifice my career for hers." "That's... surprisingly mature." Tom studied him. "Most people in your position would feel pressured to be the supportive spouse." "I can support her without giving up everything I've worked for." The words felt strange coming out of his mouth—in the original timeline, he would have said the exact opposite. "Besides, we have a son to think about. Stability matters." Tom nodded approvingly. "Well, I'm glad to hear it. The partnership track position is yours if you want it. I'll need to run it by the executive committee, but that's a formality. You're the strongest candidate we have." They shook hand

The board voted to delay the IPO by six weeks. Ethan learned about it from Catherine before Vanessa's official announcement went out. They met for coffee—her suggestion, ostensibly to check on how he was handling everything. Really, she wanted to talk about the company. "The investors are spooked," Catherine said, stirring her latte absently. "It's not just the affair story. There are rumors about internal issues. Accounting irregularities. People are asking questions we should have easy answers to, but suddenly we don't." "What kind of irregularities?" Ethan asked, keeping his tone concerned but casual. "Nothing major. Expense reports that don't quite add up. Revenue projections that seem optimistic. The kind of things that look fine when you trust the CEO, but suspicious when you don't." She looked at him directly. "Someone's been feeding information to the financial press. Making us look unstable." "Do you think it's true? The irregularities?" Catherine hesitated. "I think ev

The story broke at 6 AM.Ethan was drinking coffee in his kitchen when his phone started buzzing with alerts. First one, then five, then dozens. Twitter notifications, news alerts, text messages from colleagues, all saying the same thing:His divorce was national news.Tech CEO's Marriage Implodes: Threats, Affairs, and Insurance Fraud?TechVance Solutions CEO Accused of Planning Husband's DeathExplosive Recording Reveals Silicon Valley Marriage Gone WrongEthan clicked on the first article—Wall Street Journal. They had the full story: the affair, the custody battle, the life insurance policy, select quotes from the recording. Someone had leaked the court documents within hours of filing.His first instinct was panic. He'd wanted to use the recording as leverage in court, not have it splashed across every business publication in the country. But then he realized—this might actually work in his favor.Vanessa couldn't control the narrative now. Couldn't spin it or manipulate it. The t