No Second Chances: A Founder's Regret

For a decade, I poured my soul into InnovateNext, transforming it from a garage startup into a Silicon Valley unicorn, building its core technology from scratch as CTO, all alongside the man I loved, Ethan Vance.

Today, the eve of our massive IPO, was supposed to be our shared triumph.

Instead, I walked into the boardroom to find a perfectly poised stranger, Chloe Hayes, sitting in my chair, the one next to Ethan.

He introduced her as our new COO, the very position he had promised me for years, casually informing me she' d be taking my office, too.