Gala Downfall: The Hidden Founder’s Wife

Synopsis

I survived the startup trenches with Dominic Vance. Ten years of playing the loyal founder’s wife. Yet, in all that time, he had never once brought me to a BrightVance Technologies anniversary gala. This year was the tenth. The venue was the five-star Astoria Grand in Manhattan. I had practically begged him to let me go, just to see the scale of what we had built. Dominic stood by the entryway, slipping on his oxfords without even looking up. "If you go, it'll just make the team and the investors awkward." He straightened up, pressing a hurried kiss to my forehead. "Don't worry. Once this sprint is over, I'll take you and Poppy to Maui." The front door clicked shut. I stood alone in a living room scattered with wooden blocks and picture books, a dull ache settling in my chest. Suddenly, my three-year-old daughter, Poppy, came running down the hall, holding up a sleek black smartphone. "Mommy! Daddy forgot his phone!" I froze. That wasn't the phone Dominic usually carried. The moment my fingertips brushed the screen, an iMessage preview lit up. Dom, the gala dress is ready. $4,000. Waiting for you to swipe that card. The sender was saved as: Baby V.