I Left Him Nothing

Synopsis

I was so unbothered that I never bothered to expose my husband, Gavin Wilkes, who'd kept another woman on the side for eighteen years. To their credit, the pair were genuinely capable. They'd built my tiny workshop into a publicly listed company. That was, until this year, when they tried to buy me out with ten million dollars. At the IPO celebration party, Gavin slid divorce papers and an equity transfer agreement across the table to me. Cora Rankin, the woman he had kept for eighteen years, wearing a custom gown as the company's chief operating officer, raised her glass. She smiled and said, "Daisy, take the ten million and leave. You've coasted through most of your life. Don't hold the company back." Seated in the audience were underwriters, institutional investors, all executives, and two tables of relatives. If I refused to sign, the moment the company issued an internal dispute announcement tomorrow, the stock price, my board seat, and what little dignity I had left would all be dragged down with it. Gavin lowered his voice and added, "Don't make me say in front of everyone what you've done all these years." I stared at the pen. Then I slowly opened my purse. Inside was a kraft paper envelope that had been sealed for eighteen years.