Part 2The Divorce That Shook the Company

Orion Dynamics was a global leader in quantum computing, and they had been relentlessly pursuing me for years, each offer more generous than the last. But I had never wavered, choosing to stay by Annalise's side.

On the other end of the line, the recruiter, fearing I might change my mind, didn't hesitate. "The VP of R&D position is yours. Stock options, a villa, a luxury car—the works. It's all in the contract."

A chill washed over me. In five years of marriage, I had received less consideration from my own wife than from a company that was practically a stranger.

I thought back to the beginning, when she had casually mentioned her dream of becoming a queen of the tech world. For her, I gave up a tenured professorship at a top international university and started from scratch with her.

Countless nights fueled by black coffee and sheer will, debugging code until the lines blurred. Countless trips across the country, chasing funding and partnerships. I had wrecked my body for her dream.

In the end, I single-handedly lifted Annalise, who knew next to nothing about quantum theory, to the CEO's throne, while I remained the anonymous tech guy in the shadows.

I had given her everything. And for what? To have it all handed to another man.

From now on, I was living for me.

That night, I booked a flight and drafted my resignation letter. As a final courtesy, I sent Annalise the complete technical parameters and final testing protocols for the quantum computer.

Now, we were even.

As I packed my bags, I unearthed a box of memories, buried and forgotten. Matching watches, custom coffee mugs from our first anniversary, a photo of us in the lab, a video of our celebration when we published our first paper together...

Annalise had collected these things, piece by piece. I couldn't pinpoint when the dust had started to settle on them. Probably the day Hawthorne came back.

It used to be us against the world, spending all night writing code, celebrating every breakthrough together. When I was sick, she would nurse me back to health, whispering about the future we would build, the world we would change.

Then, "us" became her staying out all night for "academic discussions" with Hawthorne. It became me collapsing from exhaustion and being admitted to the hospital, and her not even bothering to visit.

I guess even true love has an expiration date.

I'd asked her why, once. Why the change?

Her answer was a cocktail of impatience and contempt. "We've been together for so long, Ethan. Why are you still so immature? Hawthorne is a top expert in the field. Shouldn't we give him the resources he needs? Can't you just grow up?"

Staring at the photo of us in my hand, I felt a surge of bitter amusement. I tossed it into the trash.

My phone buzzed. A message from Annalise.

Have to accompany Hawthorne to a symposium tonight. We'll celebrate our anniversary another day.

I didn't reply. I just silently cancelled the reservation at the Michelin-starred restaurant and the custom-made projection show I had planned as a surprise proposal to renew our vows. In the past, she would have just stood me up without a word. At least this time she gave me a heads-up. Progress, I suppose.

Bored, I scrolled through my phone. The top trending story stopped me cold. "Tech CEO and Top Scientist on Moonlit Campus Stroll." The accompanying photo was of Annalise, arm in arm with Hawthorne, walking through a beautiful university campus.

The comments were a waterfall of blessings and heart emojis. I casually liked the post.

After a long, hot shower, I went to a bar to unwind and called my lawyer to draft the divorce papers.

When I got home in the early hours of the morning, I found Annalise standing by the door, her face a thundercloud.

"So now you've learned to stay out all night?"