To support my husband's dreams, I gave up my career to be a housewife for eight years. When my husband's company was about to go bankrupt, he begged me to come back and save it. I was closing a $100 million deal when my husband's new intern barged in and demanded I go buy her breakfast. The client's face went dark. I told the intern to get the hell out. Afterward, I apologized over and over and agreed to cut our margin by one percent just to salvage the deal—the deal that could save our dying company. I grabbed the signed contract and headed to my husband's office to give him the good news. He slapped me across the face. Twice. In front of everyone. That's when I found out Tiffany had ended up in the hospital for low blood sugar because she hadn't eaten breakfast. But there was a Coke and a Snickers bar sitting right on her desk. I'd bought them for her this morning. I looked up at Greyson—my husband—his face twisted with rage over some intern. My cheek burned. My chest went cold. I was quiet for a long time. Then I finally said it. "Greyson. Let's get divorced." The second the words left my mouth, Greyson's expression froze. Then he grabbed the janitor's mop bucket and dumped it over my head. Freezing, rancid water soaked through everything. My white blouse clung to my skin, my bra showing through. The stench spread through the air. I stood there dripping, hair plastered to my face, water running down my cheeks. Everyone was staring. Greyson pointed at me, his voice vicious. "You out of your mind? Let me help you wake the hell up." Dead silence. Every employee looked at the floor. I clutched the contract—now soaked and ruined—my fingers ice-cold. Bitterness clawed up my throat, but I snapped back anyway. "Greyson, do you even know what this deal was for? That bonus was supposed to save my mom's life. What the hell is more important than keeping this company afloat? More important than keeping my mom alive? Tiffany had low blood sugar, but the Coke and Snickers I gave her were sitting right there on her desk. Why didn't she eat them? There were plenty of people free in the office. Why did she barge into the meeting room while I was closing a $100 million deal? And let me say something ugly—I left my daughter at home to come save your company. I gave up eight years for you. Why the hell should I be buying breakfast for an intern?" Greyson's face went pale. He had no comeback. Then he sneered. "Since you want that money so bad, fine. I'll tell you right now—you're not getting a single dollar of that bonus. I'm giving it all to Tiffany." My whole body went cold. I couldn't believe this was the man I'd been married to for ten years. "On what grounds?" His voice was ice. "Your mom's got one foot in the grave anyway. Does it really matter if she gets the money or not? Tiffany's young. She's got a future. Giving her the bonus will knock you down a peg while I'm at it. Maybe remind you what happens when a housewife forgets her place." The words hit me like a knife twisting in my chest. My body started shaking. Tears finally broke through. I'd sacrificed everything for this man. I had a degree in biochemical engineering—top of my class, recruited by three major firms before I even graduated. But when Greyson started this company, he begged me to quit. "Just stay home with the baby," he said. "I need to focus on building this business. Once we're stable, you can go back to work." That was eight years ago. This company only survived because of my mother. Because of the patent she spent her whole life developing. She got cancer from years of exposure to experimental metal radiation while working on that patent. Six months ago, when the company was circling the drain, Greyson came crawling back. "I need you. Just this one deal. Use your connections. Save us." So I left our daughter with a babysitter. I called in every favor from my old life. I sat through endless pitch meetings and business dinners, just to land a client willing to fund a 100 million contract. And now... My voice cracked. Tears spilled over. "Greyson, did you forget what you looked like when you had nothing? When you got on your knees in front of my mother and begged her to let you use the patent? My mom felt sorry for me. She felt sorry for you. She let the company use her core patent for over a decade—for free. She never asked for a single dollar. And now you talk about her like this? Doesn't your heart hurt at all?" My voice echoed through the office. Dead silence. Every employee looked at me with sympathy. Then they started whispering. "That's way over the line. How could he say something like that?" "Yeah, she gave up her whole career for him and he treats her like this?" "So this whole company only exists because of her mom's patent, and he says that? That's..." The murmurs died the second Greyson's face darkened. The quiet sympathy hung in the air. Greyson's face went from red to white. He looked humiliated. For once, his voice softened. "Elena, I... I didn't mean it like that..." Before he could finish, footsteps echoed from the lobby entrance. Tiffany stumbled in, flanked by bodyguards, her face pale. She opened her mouth and the fake-innocent act started immediately. "Stop fighting—it's all my fault. I shouldn't have bothered Mrs. Rivers to buy me breakfast."
"My life isn't worth anything. I don't deserve to make you angry over me." "It's all my fault. Please don't fight because of me..." Tiffany started crying. Then she actually dropped to her knees in front of me. "I was wrong. I never should've asked Mrs. Rivers to buy breakfast. She didn't do anything wrong—it's all on me. Someone like me isn't worth living anyway. I should just jump out a window!" She screamed and lunged toward the window like she was about to kill herself. Greyson's face went white. He grabbed her and yanked her back hard. "Tiffany! Don't do it! I'm here!" They struggled. His top shirt button popped off. His neck and chest were covered in marks—fresh red ones and older bruises. We'd been sleeping in separate beds for almost a month now. Late nights. Perfume on his clothes. Unexplained charges on his card. His phone glued to his hand. Every sign I'd ignored suddenly clicked into place. He'd been cheating. With her. The intern he was so obsessed with protecting. My whole body went cold. It hurt to breathe. Greyson saw me staring at his neck. Panic flashed in his eyes. Then rage. "Elena, what's the point of dragging up ancient history? I run this company now. You answer to me. And stop lying—your mom's not that sick. She said herself it's nothing serious. You're making a big deal out of nothing." The bitterness surged again. My mom had been pretending she was fine so Greyson wouldn't get distracted from work. If he'd bothered to visit the hospital even once, he'd know she'd die without surgery. Before I could respond, he kept going. "You think coming back for one deal makes you special? You're done here. Go home. Take care of our daughter like you're supposed to. That's all you're good for anyway." That was it. The final straw. All the humiliation, all the rage from finding out he cheated—it exploded. I raised my hand to slap Tiffany across the face. Greyson moved fast. He shouted. "Security! Hold her down!" Two massive bodyguards grabbed my arms and pinned me to the floor. Greyson's eyes went dark. "She tried to hit someone. Beat her. Don't stop until she learns her lesson." Slap after slap landed on my face. Ten. Fifteen. My lip split. My cheek swelled. My ears rang. My vision went black. Greyson turned to the room and barked at everyone. "If anyone says a word about what happened today, you're fired. Blacklisted for life." The bodyguards shoved me to the ground. I was covered in filth, tears, and blood. I looked like a drowned rat. I tried to push myself up. Greyson crouched down in front of me. "Elena, if you even think about calling the cops, I'll cut off your mom's medication and let her die. And I'll make sure you never see our daughter again." My chest seized. My nose burned. My mom had spent her whole life as a professor. She lived frugally, donated most of her salary to scholarships and research funds, gave the rest to Greyson's startup, and kept nothing for herself. I had no money of my own. I'd been out of work for eight years. Every dollar I'd earned before marriage went into this company. My bank account was joint with Greyson's—he controlled everything. I bit down hard. I couldn't say a word. I swallowed the lump in my throat. I stumbled out of the office and went straight to the hospital. But the second I got to the lobby, my phone rang. The doctor's voice was frantic. "Mrs. Rivers, your mother's medication has been stopped!" My whole body shook. I dialed Greyson's number with trembling hands. He answered immediately. His voice was cold. "Consider this a lesson. Do what you're told. Go home and stay there. Or your mom won't last another day." I heard Tiffany's voice in the background, sweet and sickening. "Greyson, can we go to that French retaurant tonight?" The line went dead. I stood in the cold hospital corridor, watching patients and families pass by. I sank to the floor and finally broke down. I pulled out the debit card I'd opened secretly last month—the only account Greyson didn't know about. I'd been putting aside grocery money, twenty dollars at a time. It had $340 in it. I handed it to the payment window with shaking hands. The nurse checked the balance and looked up at me gently. "Mrs. Rivers, your mother's treatment costs $8,000 a week. This won't cover it." All the strength left my body. Ten years of marriage. I'd given up my career, raised his child, kept his house, and saved his company. And to him, I wasn't worth a single dollar. My mom was in a hospital bed waiting for medication to keep her alive. I had no choice. I wiped my face and headed back to the office. By the time I got there, it was long past business hours. The whole building was dark except for the top floor—the CEO's office. The lights were still on. I got to the elevator. The head of security blocked my path, looking me up and down with contempt. "Mrs. Rivers? What are you doing here? Didn't Mr. Rivers tell you to go home?" I didn't have time for this. I shoved past him and ran toward the office. The closer I got, the clearer the sounds became. A woman moaning. A man's rough breathing. The desk rattling under the weight. "Greyson, slow down, I can't..." "What if that old hag finds out? She'll kill me." Greyson's voice came through, panting. "Don't worry. She depends on me now. She's got no job, no money, nowhere to go. Without me, she's nothing..." My mom was dying in a hospital bed. And he was in here screwing his intern. Rage and humiliation hit me like a tidal wave. I raised my foot and kicked the door open. BANG.
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