Chapter 3

My team didn't just grumble, they were ready to walk.

"Liam, say the word, we're out," Mark, my lead architect, messaged me privately.

"We follow you, not her. Not anymore."

Their loyalty was a sharp contrast to Bella's actions.

I spent an hour that afternoon updating my LinkedIn profile, something I hadn't touched in years.

Changed my status to "Open to new opportunities."

Listed the Series B success, the core algorithm development, my leadership of the engineering division.

It felt like severing another tie, a small, public declaration.

My phone rang less than thirty minutes later.

An unknown number, Austin area code.

"Liam Walker?" a confident female voice asked.

"Speaking."

"Chloe Davis, CEO of NextGen Dynamics. I' ve been following your work for some time, Liam. Impressive stuff with that new AI."

NextGen Dynamics. Our biggest, most established competitor.

I knew Chloe by reputation, sharp, respected, built NextGen into a powerhouse.

"Thank you, Ms. Davis."

"Chloe, please. Liam, I saw your LinkedIn update. Is it true you' re looking?"

"It is," I confirmed.

"Good. I might have something more than just an opportunity for you. How would you feel about a Senior VP role, heading up our AI innovation division? Full autonomy, resources you wouldn't believe, and a team you can build, or bring."

Bring my team.

The words hung in the air.

"My entire engineering team?" I asked, making sure I heard right.

"If they're as good as you, and I suspect they are, absolutely. We value talent at NextGen, and we reward it properly."

The unspoken contrast with Innovatech was clear.

"The terms would be... significantly better than what you' re likely used to," she added, a hint of knowing in her voice.

We talked for another twenty minutes, about vision, about technology, about culture.

It felt like breathing fresh air after being in a stuffy room for too long.

"Send me the details," I said. "I'm very interested."

"They're already in your inbox," Chloe replied. "I like to be prepared."

I hung up, a sense of momentum shifting.

A way out, not just for me, but for my team.

Later that evening, I tried to get Bella to sit down, to talk about the divorce papers my lawyer had drafted.

She waved me off, phone pressed to her ear, giggling.

"Julian's teaching me how to make his mother's pasta sauce, isn't that sweet? I'll be late."

I saw his Instagram story a few minutes later.

Bella, aproned, stirring a pot in Julian' s ridiculously expensive downtown loft kitchen.

The caption: "My angel, even a CEO can be a domestic goddess for the right person 😉 #Blessed #TrueLove."

Bella, who once told me cooking was "a tedious waste of time I could be using to build an empire."

Bella, who hadn' t cooked a meal for me in five years.

The disillusionment was a cold, hard knot in my gut.