Chapter 1

On the eve of our new software launch, a hacker wiped my servers clean. Every line of core code—gone.

Ten years of blood, sweat, and sleepless nights, ruined overnight. My entire career was on the brink of collapse.

It was my wife, Claire, who scrambled to hire a top-tier tech team to help me rebuild. She held me tight and told me we could start over.

I was deeply moved.

Until I accidentally overheard her talking to her new assistant, Lucas, in her private office.

"Claire, if you hadn't secretly messed with Ethan's server, I'd never have gotten this promotion."

"And now, under the guidance of the team you brought in, he's failed the third rebuild. He has no moves left."

"Still... seeing Ethan stay up night after night, looking so broken... I can't help feeling a little guilty."

Claire stayed silent for a long moment, slowly blowing out a stream of cigarette smoke.

"I’m the one who wronged him. It has nothing to do with you. Just take over his position and do your job."

"As for Ethan... I gave him my entire life. What right does he have to be dissatisfied?"

I stood frozen outside the door, watching through the crack as the two of them embraced.

Without hesitation, I pulled out my phone and messaged the CEO of our biggest rival.

[Evelyn, I'm thinking about jumping ship. Do you still have a spot for me?]

Evelyn replied instantly: [Are you serious?]

[Evelyn, years ago, when my first project crashed and burned, you were the angel investor who kept me alive. If you hadn’t lent me your high-end servers to calibrate my algorithms, I wouldn't have my first patent.]

Leaning against the cold drywall, my hands trembled, but I kept typing:

[I remember every favor you ever did for me, open or quiet.]

[I was just blinded by so-called love. I forgot who truly believed in me from the start.]

[Now I see things clearly.]

[If you still want a guy who has practically nothing left...]

Evelyn texted back within seconds: [Isn't your project launching any day now? You turned me down half a dozen times for that very project. Why the sudden change of heart?]

I let out a bitter laugh. My thumbs hovered over the glass before sending just two words:

[I’m tired.]

Exhausted to my very bones.

Ten years of my life erased—not by a competitor, but by the only person in the world I let my guard down around. My wife.

Before I could lock my screen, my phone vibrated. Evelyn was on FaceTime:

"Drop your pin. I’m picking you up right now."

Reaching out to Evelyn wasn't an impulse decision.

Back in college, when we coded all night in the lab, Evelyn had said, "Ethan, you're destined to lead this industry."

Later, when she took over her family's tech conglomerate, she invited me to join as a partner. But I turned her down. I insisted on starting from scratch with Claire.

When my first company almost went under, Evelyn quietly bought out our competitor's shares just to inject cash into my business and smooth my path.

The industry painted Evelyn as a ruthless corporate ice queen. None of them knew that every time I hit rock bottom, she was the one offering a lifeline.

Once, after too many drinks, she grabbed my arm and asked, "When are you finally going to see the people around you for who they really are?"

Back then, my world revolved around Claire. I thought Evelyn was just talking nonsense while wasted.

Who could have guessed that the knife in my back would come from the woman I loved with everything I had?

Evelyn’s crisp voice cut through the speaker: "Finally woke up?"

"Yeah," I choked out, my throat tight.

Evelyn gave a soft chuckle. "Good. About damn time."

"As for whether there's a spot for you... the Chief Technology Officer desk at my company has been vacant from day one. Why do you think that is?"

I froze.

Her tone turned commanding: "Send your location. Thirty minutes."

I hung up. Inside the office, the intimate drama was still playing out.

"Claire, you did all this for me... If Ethan ever finds out, he'll go insane."

"If you love me, why won't you just divorce him and be with me? Why stay by his side?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I will only ever love Ethan," Claire snapped, her voice suddenly ice-cold. "Know your place, Lucas."

The tone was horrifyingly familiar.

Ten years ago, she had barked at a girl flirting with me in college in the exact same way:

"I'll only ever love Ethan, and Ethan will only ever love me."

Looking back, she didn't love me at all. She just loved the thrill of controlling my life.