Chapter 1

After my wife reached a seven-figure salary, she put me in her slide presentation of life shames during her speech at the annual industry summit.

On the massive screen, she projected photos of me wearing an apron, frying fish, and kneeling on the floor scrubbing the toilet. Next to the photos, she wrote in bold, humiliating letters:

"A depreciating asset!"

"A stumbling block to progress!"

"An obstacle that must be cleared on the road to success!"

In an instant, I became the laughingstock of the entire venue.

But what she didn't know was that I used to be a legendary algorithm genius in the tech world. I only hid my brilliance and returned to the kitchen because I loved her.

Now, this marriage? I’m done with it.

My wife, Vivian, was giving a keynote speech titled "My Decade" at the prestigious Annual Tech & Industry Summit. The presentation slides had finally reached the "Acknowledgments" section.

I remembered her telling me last night that she wanted to give me a special thank-you today.

I secretly wondered if she would show a sweet couple photo of us.

However, the first slide popped up.

It was a photo of me wearing a grease-stained apron, looking messy and flustered while frying fish.

Giggles and whispers immediately rippled from the back rows.

Then, the second photo appeared.

It was a shot of my back as I knelt on one knee, scrubbing the toilet bowl. The angle was awkward, making me look incredibly submissive, as if I were worshiping the toilet.

The entire hall erupted into laughter.

And there I was, sitting in the front row, invited as the "supportive spouse."

The camera panned to my face, which had gone completely pale. I could clearly hear the whispers from the seats next to me.

"Is that Vivian’s house husband? The one living off her?"

"No wonder she’s so successful. She cut off the dead weight to fly higher."

"It couldn't have been easy for Vivian, climbing to the top with a useless drag like him."

The voices were loud. They wanted me to hear them.

I froze in my seat, feeling every gaze in the room burning into my skin like flashlights.

On stage, Vivian looked radiant, her voice confident and sharp.

"In the career growth phase, we must learn to subtract. We have to identify and clear out the burdens that slow us down..."

For the next ten minutes, she dissected my daily chores—cooking, cleaning, taking care of our daughter—as if they were corporate business cases.

Sunk cost, opportunity cost, negative return on investment...

Every business term she used felt like a cold knife twisting in my heart.

The audience erupted in thunderous applause as her speech ended. Vivian smiled and bowed gracefully on stage, basking in the spotlight. She was glowing.

Meanwhile, I slouched my shoulders and quietly walked out of the hall, blending into the shadows.

When I got home, I sat on the dark sofa. I didn't turn on the lights. I just stared at the silhouettes of the furniture in the silence.

We had been married for five years.

When Vivian said she wanted to push for her career, I said okay, I’ll handle the home.

When she said she hated chores, I said okay, I’ll do them.

When she said having a baby would ruin her career path, I said okay, I’ll raise Lily.

I thought this was a partnership. I thought this was what a family was supposed to be.

Only today did I realize that in her eyes, I was just a parasite, a "depreciating asset" holding her back.

The front door clicked open. Vivian stumbled in, smelling of alcohol. Her cheeks were flushed, but her eyes still held the excitement of her big night.

She flipped the light switch and frowned when she saw me.

"Leo, why are you just sitting there in the dark? Go make me a black coffee. I have a massive hangover."

I didn't move. I just stared at her.

"Vivian, what am I to you, really?"

Vivian pushed past me impatiently. "Leo, what is your problem now?"

"Today’s slides. Those photos. Those words." I questioned her, my voice trembling but steady. "In your heart, I’m just a burden, aren't I?"

Vivian turned around, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.

I knew that posture. It was her negotiation stance, the one she used when dealing with difficult clients.

"Leo, today was the biggest day of my career. I don’t want to fight. Those were just case studies for the presentation. I needed them for the stage effect."

I let out a dry laugh. "Case studies? Using photos of your husband scrubbing toilets as a joke?"

"What did you want me to do?" Vivian raised her voice. "Show a cheesy couple photo? Tell everyone my success is because I have a great husband? Who would buy that in our industry?"

She walked closer, her breath smelling of wine. "Leo, this is my moment. Can you please not ruin it?"

I looked at her, suddenly feeling like she was a complete stranger.

The woman who had shared my bed for five years was someone I didn't know at all.

"So, to you, I really am just a negative asset that needs to be cleared out of your way?"

Vivian went silent for a few seconds.

"So what if you are? What if you aren't? Leo, grow up, will you?"

She turned and walked toward the bedroom. "I’m exhausted. I have a meeting with investors tomorrow."

The bedroom door slammed shut.

I stood up and went into the study.

At the very bottom of the bookshelf, there was a dusty cardboard box.

I pulled it out and opened it. Inside were relics of my past life: my collegiate coding championship medals, a faded team photo, and an old black phone.

I plugged it into a charger. As soon as the screen lit up, a five-year-old text message popped up.

"Leo, are you really not joining us? Name your price. The offer stands."

The sender was Cole Sterling—the man who was now the billionaire founder of the tech giant Apex Tech.