On the eve of launching the product our team had bled for over three years to create, I overheard my wife planning to give my title—Co-founder—to an intern. Her best friend, Karina, was trying to reason with her. "Ava, think about this. Daniel has poured his soul into this project for three years. You can't just replace him at the last second. It’s not right." "And if you're really that into this new programmer kid," Karina continued, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "just keep him on as an assistant or something. Why blow everything up over him?" Ava's voice was a low, tense murmur. "You don't get it. I can't give him the commitment he wants, so the least I can do is make it up to him financially." "Daniel's entire focus is on this launch," she explained, her logic cold and precise. "If I tell him now, he’ll implode, and the launch will go down with him. It’s better to just announce it on stage, while he's preoccupied. Once it's a done deal, he won't make a scene. He’ll have to swallow it for the sake of the company's image, for the stock price." I silently crushed the cigarette out in the ashtray, the last wisp of smoke curling into the darkness. Then, I turned and walked back to the bedroom. … The day of the launch, the conference hall was a swarm of flashing cameras and microphones. Just as Ava was basking in the limelight, her arm linked with the intern, Leo, Karina burst through the crowd, her face pale with panic. "It's a disaster! Someone leaked our product! A rival company just launched a clone—they went live three hours ago and already have over eight million users!" This was my little gift to her. Yesterday afternoon, I sold the exclusive rights to our product to her biggest competitor, Apex Dynamics. … Karina dragged her into the emergency stairwell, the door slamming shut behind them. "This project was Daniel's baby from day one," she hissed. "Could he have done this? What if he found out about you and Leo? This feels like revenge, Ava." Ava shook her head, her certainty absolute. "Don't jump to conclusions without proof. Daniel comes from a family of academics, three generations of Ivy League scholars. He has too much class, too much pride. If he knew something, he would have confronted me directly, not pulled a stunt like this." Karina wasn't convinced. "You're being naive! The man adores you. If he found out you betrayed him, that love would turn to hate in a second. And if he decided to retaliate, you know the Hawthorne family is not to be trifled with. We wouldn't survive that fight." A small, confident smile played on Ava's lips. "You forget. He turned his back on them for me. The Hawthornes disowned him years ago. They won't lift a finger to help him. Now, I'm all he has left. He's a smart man; he wouldn't burn the only bridge he has." Karina seemed to relax, reassured by Ava’s confidence. But a flicker of confusion crossed her face. "I still don't get it. What's so special about this Leo kid? No offense, but from where I'm standing, he can't hold a candle to your Daniel." Ava’s smile softened. "Daniel and I have been together for seven years. The passion... it's settled into a routine, a habit. Since Leo came along, I've felt this strange, secret guilt towards Daniel, and it’s actually made our relationship better. It’s a win-win, isn't it?" So that's what it was. The seven-year itch. The fading flame. Leo was just the jolt of electricity she needed to feel something again. But the moment she decided to give him my position—the position I had earned—the scales in her heart had tipped for good. Through the thin metal door, their voices carried, faint but clear. "You're playing with fire, Ava. One day you're going to push it too far and lose everything. You have a perfect husband, I don't know why you feel the need to create all this drama." Ava's tone was unshakable, laced with a chilling certainty. "He loves me more than his own life. Remember when I was misdiagnosed with heart failure? Without a second thought, he signed a directed donation agreement, ready to give me his heart. It turned out to be a false alarm, but that agreement? It's still legally binding." She paused, letting the weight of her words sink in. "Do you know what that means? It means if I ever needed it, his heart is mine for the taking. A man who would literally do that for me… is he really going to throw it all away over a little fling with Leo?" "But you've reminded me," she added, her voice shifting. "He's bound to be jealous about today's mess. I'll just have to smooth things over later. He's ridiculously easy to soothe, you know. A few kisses, a soft touch, and he's happy for days." Her voice turned wistful, almost bored. "There's no challenge in it anymore. It's not like Leo. He can give me the silent treatment for a week straight when he's mad. Now that's exciting." Exciting? I closed my eyes, forcing a steadying breath into my lungs. She thought I was easy to soothe? It was never about that. It was because I couldn't bear to see her worried or upset, so I let things go. I yielded. And she saw it as a lack of excitement. A bitter, self-mocking smile touched my lips. Is this just human nature? Get too comfortable, and you start craving chaos. Well, if that's what she wanted, and I loved her so much… how could I deny her the satisfaction? I walked back into the main hall just as Ava and Karina emerged from the stairwell. She saw me and immediately rushed to my side. "Daniel, I know this is a nightmare, but we have to stay focused. The top priority is finding the traitor who did this." Even now, she was pretending to care about my feelings. I raised an eyebrow, watching the carefully constructed concern on her face. If I hadn't heard what I'd just heard, her performance would have been flawless. Ava took my hand, her touch meant to be comforting. "Don't blame yourself. I know you did everything you could." I didn't pull away, nor did I respond. Her fingers traced absentminded circles on the back of my hand. Then her tone shifted, becoming more strategic. "Daniel, with this crisis, there's going to be fallout inside the company. It's going to make it hard for you to lead the team moving forward." I played along. "So what do you think I should do?" A flicker of something—triumph?—flashed in her eyes before she suppressed it. "You know, the plan was to officially announce you as Co-founder today. But after this… if I force you into that position now, the board and the team will never accept it. So maybe…" Seeing I wasn't interrupting, she spoke faster, as if afraid I'd refuse. "I'm thinking of letting Leo step up for now. He can be the public face, handle the press. All the negative attention, internally and externally, will be focused on him. It will take the pressure off you." Her scheme was brilliant in its cruelty. She had already promised my title to her lover, but now, under the cover of crisis, she was twisting the narrative. Now, Leo was the noble one, taking the fall for me. And I was supposed to be grateful. My silence seemed to make her anxious. "It's just a temporary measure, Daniel. A strategic move to get us through this. You have to understand, it’s all for the good of the company." She paused, her voice softening into a velvet purr. "Your position in this company is unshakable. No one can ever change that. Once this storm passes, everything will go back to normal. Okay?" I looked at her, my voice low and hollow. "And what about my position in your heart?" She looked at me, confused. "My position in your heart," I repeated. "Is that unshakable, too?" She stared for a second, then broke into a laugh, tapping my shoulder playfully. "Are you serious? Right now? I'm over here trying to figure out how to protect you, how to make this easier on you, and you're getting jealous?" My eyebrow arched. "So this is my fault, then?" She must have sensed the shift in my demeanor, the coldness beneath the surface. Her expression changed, and she suddenly wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a hug. "It's just a strategy, a way to survive this. If you're not happy with it, we won't do it. We won't use him." I nodded slowly, my voice devoid of emotion. "Fine. Have it your way. If you think he has what it takes to stabilize the situation, then let him try." My easy agreement clearly threw her off again. "...You agree?" she asked, her voice laced with hesitation. I offered a ghost of a smile. "You said he's just a shield, a scapegoat to take the fall for me. Why would I object to that?" Without another glance at her, I pushed open the heavy doors of the venue. A blast of cold, damp air hit my face. It felt like it was about to pour. She followed me to the car, her voice a complex mix of emotions from behind me. "Daniel, once this is all over, everything will be okay. I promise." I didn't turn back. The storm would pass. But whether things would be okay… that was no longer up to her. With Leo installed as the new Co-founder, Ava paraded him everywhere. Investor meetings, industry galas, press conferences—they were an inseparable, high-profile duo. The looks I got from colleagues in the office became a mixture of pity and suspicion. One day, Ava called me into her office. "Daniel, we have to find the mole. I've set up an internal investigation team, but you were the core of the project. You know every line of code, every data stream. You have to lead the investigation." I looked at her, a laugh bubbling in my throat. She wanted me to investigate myself. I nodded, my tone sincere. "Don't worry. I'll get to the bottom of this and give everyone the answers they need." And so I began, making a grand show of leading the investigation, poring over logs and interviewing my own team members. That night, as I was "working late" with the investigators, my phone buzzed. It was my older brother. "Daniel, turn on the live stream for the charity gala right now. I'll buy the item back for you, but you're going to owe me an explanation for this mess." A cold dread washed over me. I clicked the link. On the screen, the auctioneer was presenting the next item, a donation from Aura Tech's own CEO, Ava Thorne. A magnificent blue diamond ring, once part of a royal collection. A hot rush of blood roared in my ears. My vision swam. That ring… My fingers were already dialing her number. "Daniel? Why are you calling so late? Is there… a break in the investigation?" My voice was a low growl, each word ground between my teeth. "You donated the engagement ring." The line went silent. I could practically hear her panic. "You saw that? Look, Leo's never been to one of these things, it was an awkward situation, I had to do something. But don't worry, I'm going to buy it back." "I know it was your grandmother's," she rushed to add. "I would never actually let it go. Relax…" I cut her off. "You used a Hawthorne family heirloom to clean up your boy-toy's mess? He's not just a 'temporary measure,' is he? He's the apple of your eye." It was like I had struck a nerve. "What are you talking about? He represents me now. When he looks foolish, I look foolish! Did you want me to become a laughingstock?" I let out a slow, weary sigh. "So you donated the ring." Her voice became sharp, defensive. "I told you I'll buy it back, no matter the cost! Isn't that enough? What more do you want?" My control finally snapped. "It was a gift from me to you, Ava! You didn't even have the decency to ask me." The silence on the other end was thick with tension. Then, a soft male voice intruded. "Daniel? Look, we're here representing the company. Aura Tech can't afford another scandal right now. Ava was in a tough spot. This was my fault, really. I'll make it up to you." "She's been so stressed lately, not eating, not sleeping," Leo continued, his voice dripping with false concern. "Please don't fight with her. It's my fault. When we get back, you can take all your anger out on me." Listening to him, my white-hot rage cooled to ice. I had forgotten about the silver-tongued charmer by her side, always ready to twist the situation to his advantage. Before I could speak, Ava's voice cut in, fierce and protective. "Why are you apologizing to him? It was his mess in the first place! We're here trying to fix it, and he's whining about trivial, sentimental nonsense." She scoffed, her voice turning to steel as she addressed me through the phone. "This just proves I was right to make Leo Co-founder. You have less strategic vision than a fresh college graduate." Her words were a slap in the face, but they brought a chilling clarity. The depths of their shamelessness were truly something to behold. In that moment, I found myself thinking, they really do deserve each other. I made one last attempt to appeal to the woman I thought I knew. "Ava, that ring meant more than its monetary value. To me, it was priceless. That's why I asked you to marry me with it. If you cared about me, you would have told me before you put it on that auction block." I thought that by spelling it out, by taking a step back, she would understand. I couldn't have been more wrong. "It's just a ring, Daniel. A material object. Is it more important than the company's reputation? When did you become so emotional, so incapable of seeing the bigger picture?" "I'm emotional?" I repeated her words, the last embers of hope in my heart turning to ash. "Ava, it wasn't just a ring—" On her end, I heard Leo's voice murmur, "Ava, come on. Mr. Davison is waiting for us." Ava’s tone immediately became businesslike. "I have important people to talk to. I don't have time for this petty drama. The ring is a done deal. We'll talk when I get back." In the end, my brother bought the ring back anonymously, for a price so absurdly high it made headlines. Ava was clearly stunned when a mysterious bidder swooped in and outbid her. The next day, she presented me with an elegant watch box. "Daniel, I was wrong about yesterday. Can you forgive me?" I opened it. Inside lay a limited-edition timepiece worth a small fortune. I closed the lid and pushed it back across the desk toward her. "There's no need. The ring is in the past." My voice was flat, unreadable. She blinked. "What do you mean, 'in the past'?" I didn't expose her lies or press the issue. "I mean you were right. It's just an object. The people in front of us are what matter." A look of smug satisfaction crossed her face, as if to say, I knew he'd come around. She nestled against me, the subject of the ring completely forgotten. "Let me put it on for you." I gently blocked her hand. "No, thank you. The style is too young for me." Her eyes darted away, and she quickly changed the subject. Life seemed to fall back into its old rhythm. She continued to tour the city with Leo, the shining power couple. Until a senior management meeting. Ava sat at the head of the table, with Leo in the seat of honor to her left. As she spoke, her fingers tapped a restless rhythm on the polished wood. My gaze froze on her left hand. On the finger where my grandmother's diamond had once rested, there was now a simple, hand-hammered silver band. Leo made it for her. The thought was as clear and certain as a shard of glass in my mind. I didn't confront them. But Leo decided to confront me. He cornered me in the hallway after the meeting. "Hey, Daniel. Got a minute?" I ignored him and tried to walk past. He sidestepped, blocking my path. "I heard you didn't accept the watch Ava got for you," he said, a smirk playing on his lips. "You keep rejecting her peace offerings, you're going to break her heart. And when a heart gets cold, it starts looking for warmth somewhere else. You know what I mean?" I stopped and fixed him with an icy stare. He took my silence as an invitation to continue, growing bolder. He stroked the matching silver ring on his own finger. "I made this myself. It's not worth much, but Ava says it's more precious than any diamond. Because it's the thought that counts, right?" He looked me right in the eye, his smugness practically radiating off him. "Tell me, Daniel. When you're at the top for so long, do you even remember how to tell the difference between genuine affection and someone just going through the motions?" I stared at his gloating face and found it utterly pathetic. "Are you done?" I asked. He seemed taken aback by my lack of reaction. He faltered. "If you're done," I said, my voice dangerously quiet, "then get out of my way." The color drained from Leo's face. Without a backward glance, I walked away. That night, a shrill ringtone ripped me from a shallow sleep. Ava's name flashed on the screen. "Daniel, have you lost your mind? You could have killed him!" I sat up, my mind clearing instantly. "What the hell are you talking about?" "Don't play dumb with me! You locked Leo in the storage closet! Security found him nearly passed out from dehydration! Who else would be vicious enough to do something like that? My God, Daniel, I never knew you could be so cruel." A cold, humorless laugh escaped my lips. "Ava, I don't have time for these pathetic games. Instead of screaming at me, why don't you go check the security footage?" Before she could continue her tirade, I hung up and blocked her number. Silence. Blessed silence. But less than ten minutes later, another call came through, this time from an unknown number. "Hello, am I speaking with Mr. Daniel Hawthorne? This is the Organ Transplant Coordination Center at Metropolis General Hospital. Our records indicate that you have a signed cardiac donation agreement on file, with a clause for priority matching under specific circumstances." The voice was clinical, robotic, merely stating facts. "We have a critically ill patient who is a perfect match. His condition is extremely precarious, and he requires an immediate heart transplant. We need you to come to the hospital at once for final compatibility testing and pre-operative preparation." My own heart felt like it had been plunged into a vat of ice. My blood ran cold. I remembered, years ago, signing that document. The only person who could activate that protocol was the intended beneficiary—her. Or someone she explicitly authorized. Ava. I never, in my darkest nightmares, imagined she would one day try to use my heart to save another man. I hung up the phone without a word. Then I sent a text to a number I'd been in frequent contact with lately. [The timeline has moved up. I can't wait any longer.]
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