Introduction

I was the rock of InnovateATX, Bella's husband, the tech visionary who' d put his own startup on hold to support her dream.

Our Austin home, a life I helped design, was where I genuinely believed our future lay, despite the secret pact I' d made years ago with venture capitalist Olivia Hayes to neutralize Victor Cole, the man connected to my family' s ruin.

Then, Bella handed me divorce papers, declaring, "It was always him," nodding towards Victor, her resurrected college sweetheart.

Weeks blurred into public accusations – Bella siding with Victor, dismissing me as "moping" after a staged office "accident"- and private indignities, as she signed my resignation without a glance, calling my efforts a "drag."

She watched me clear out our home, deeming our shared memories "sentimental junk," and, as I stumbled through the wreckage of my life, coldly stated, "I don' t love you anymore."

Just when I thought it couldn't get worse, a truck swerved into my car, leaving me mangled and bleeding on a Hill Country highway.

Through my blurring vision, all I could see was Bella, rushing past my wreck to Victor' s less damaged Tesla, cradling him, utterly oblivious to me.

In that moment, the final, agonizing truth slammed into me: she truly felt nothing for me, the man she married, the man who had loved her.

The raw realization was more painful than any shattered bone.

Desperate, I fumbled for my phone and choked out Olivia' s name.

Her voice cut through the chaos, calm and cutting: "They can make you disappear, Ethan. Officially. A clean slate. A new life. If you want it."

Watching Bella's betrayal unfold, I whispered, "Yes. Do it."

As darkness consumed me, my old life ended, and a new one, colder, sharper, was born from the ashes.