Chapter 1
My CEO wife, Linda, told me to hand over my position as CTO to her college sweetheart, who had just returned from abroad.
I said yes.
She was too busy texting her sweetheart to even look up, just signed off on the resignation letter and agreement like it was nothing.
She had no clue that tucked inside those papers were the divorce agreement and the transfer for the core patent.
From that day on, she stopped coming home at night, and I stopped calling her.
When I found used condoms in the villa, I didn't lose it.
I just quietly packed up my things and called a moving truck.
She was right about me—I really am petty.
I couldn't stand the thought of using anything someone else had touched.
That went for her, too.
*****
The day Linda told me to step down, the sun was shining bright outside.
She was sitting in the CEO's leather chair, her fingers flying across her phone screen, a smile on her lips that I'd never seen before.
"Ryan, Ethan's coming back next week," she said.
She finally looked up at me, like I was just some outdated report she couldn't care less about.
"Hand over the CTO spot," she said.
I stood in front of her desk, holding the coffee I'd brought for her.
Americano, no sugar—just the way she liked it, every single day for the past three years.
"Who am I handing it over to?" I asked.
"Ethan Chandler," she replied.
I nodded.
Ethan Chandler—her college sweetheart, the guy she'd always had a thing for. He went abroad five years ago to make a name for himself, and now he was back.
I set the coffee down on her desk.
"Sure," I said.
She shot me a quick glance, surprised I agreed so fast, then went right back to texting on her phone.
"Go handle the paperwork with HR," she said.
I didn't move.
"No need for HR," I said.
I took out three documents from my briefcase and lined them up in front of her.
"Resignation letter, handover sheet, and this," I said.
I tapped the one at the bottom.
"Just sign this," I said.
Linda didn't even look up. She just grabbed the pen and signed her name.
Swish, swish, swish.
Three signatures.
Her handwriting was sharp and forceful, just like her.
"Got it. Just follow the procedure," she said, waving me off. "And close the door on your way out."
I couldn't help but smirk as she finished signing the last one.
"Thanks, Ms. Summers," I said.
I gathered the documents and walked out.
As the door clicked shut behind me, I took a deep breath.
Three years.
Three years married to her, working as CTO at her company—built the whole data infrastructure from the ground up, secured seven core patents, and brought in sixty percent of the major accounts.
And what did I get in return?
Just a cold, "Hand over your position to Ethan."
She didn't even bother coming up with a reason.
I walked over to the elevator and checked the time on my phone.
It was 2:17 PM.
Starting today, I wasn't Linda's husband anymore, and I wasn't the CTO of Summers Tech.
I'm free now.
The elevator doors slid open, and I stepped inside. I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled.
"Ryan, congratulations," I said to myself.
As the elevator descended, I pulled out my phone and shot a message to Mark.
[Mark, you free tonight? Let's grab some barbecue.]
Three seconds later, his reply popped up.
Mark: [Holy shit? You're not working overtime? Did hell freeze over or something?]
I texted: [Nope. Not anymore. Never again.]
Mark: [What?]
I texted: [Quit my job. Got divorced while I was at it.]
He went silent for ten whole seconds.
Then he called me.
I didn't pick up.
I just texted back: [Let's talk when you arrive. Leo's BBQ joint on East Street, 7 PM.]