Chapter 2

At 7 PM, I showed up at Leo's BBQ joint.

Mark was already there, two dozen beers on the table, sitting on a plastic stool with a look like he'd just seen a ghost.

"Spill it. Quitting I get, but divorce? What the hell happened?" he asked.

I sat down, cracked open a beer, and took a big swig.

"She signed it," I said.

"She actually signed the divorce papers on her own?" Mark asked.

"Yep, she signed it herself," I said with a smirk. "She didn't even know what she was signing."

Mark stared at me for a couple seconds, then his eyes went wide.

"You you slipped the divorce papers in with the resignation stuff?" he asked.

"And the patent transfer agreement," I added.

Mark was speechless.

Mark set his beer down, put his hands together in mock worship, and gave me a dramatic bow.

"Ryan, are you even human?" he asked.

"She told me to follow the procedure, so I gave her the full treatment," I said.

I grabbed a pork rib. "Resignation, divorce, patent transfer—the all-in-one deal."

Mark opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again.

"And those seven core patents?" he asked.

"All under my name now," I said, chewing on the pork rib. "Linda thought the paperwork was a hassle, so she just told me to take care of it. Well, now it's done."

"And what about those big clients?" Mark asked.

"The clients follow me, not the company," I replied.

Mark rubbed his face hard.

"Ryan, do you even realize what Summers Tech is gonna be like without all that?" he asked.

"Not my problem anymore," I said.

I took another big gulp of beer.

Cold, fizzy, and it hit my stomach with a refreshing kick.

After three years, I finally remembered what beer tastes like.

Linda wouldn't let me drink before—said it would mess up my work the next day.

Now? I could drink till sunrise if I feel like it.

"So, what about her college sweetheart, Ethan Chandler?" Mark lowered his voice. "Are they"

"Yeah, found some used condoms at the villa today," I said.

I said it as casually as if I were talking about the weather.

Mark nearly spat out his beer.

"Holy shit! How are you so calm about this?" he blurted out.

"What's there to get worked up about?" I replied.

I wiped the beer off the back of my hand.

"I think it's filthy using anything someone else has touched," I said.

Mark stared at me for a long moment, then suddenly raised his bottle.

"Cheers to you," he said.

I clinked my bottle against his.

"Cheers to freedom," I said.

That night, I drank a lot.

By the time I got back to my rented apartment, it was already 1 AM.

My phone showed three missed calls.

All from Linda.

I glanced at the screen, rolled over, and went straight to sleep.

Back when she used to stay out all night, I'd call her over twenty times.

Now? I can't even be bothered to give it a second glance.