Chapter 1

The new car sat in the executive parking spot, a gleaming silver symbol of everything that was wrong. It was a gift from Chloe, my fiancée and the CEO of the company we built together, to Liam, her new executive assistant. I stared at it from my own beat-up sedan, the one I' d had for the entire ten years we' d been building Apex Innovations from the ground up.

My phone buzzed. It was a notification from the finance department. My project budget had been cut again, by thirty percent this time. The message was cold and impersonal, a stark contrast to the lavish generosity parked just a few feet away.

I walked into the office, the familiar hum of servers a sound I once found comforting. Now it just felt like a low, constant reminder of my fading relevance. I headed straight for the main conference room for the quarterly all-hands meeting.

I saw them as soon as I entered. Chloe stood at the podium, looking powerful and confident in her sharp business suit. Liam was beside her, a little too close, whispering something in her ear that made her smile. He was young, charming, and everyone knew he had Chloe' s complete confidence. He wore a new designer watch that matched the car.

I took my seat in the back, a place I never would have chosen a year ago.

Chloe began the meeting, her voice resonating with practiced authority. She talked about growth, about new directions. Then, she turned to the topic of internal efficiency.

"We've had to make some tough decisions to streamline our operations," she announced, her eyes scanning the room. Her gaze landed on me for a brief, cold moment. "The 'Aether' project, led by Ethan, has consistently run over budget and behind schedule. As a result, we are reallocating its resources to more promising ventures."

A murmur went through the room. The Aether project was my brainchild, the core technology that Apex was built on. It was our foundation.

"Furthermore," she continued, her voice hardening, "we cannot tolerate a lack of fiscal responsibility. Ethan' s salary will be reduced, effective immediately, to reflect these performance issues."

The humiliation was a physical blow. It was public. It was intentional. I could feel the stares of my colleagues, the people I had mentored and worked alongside for a decade. I looked at Chloe, searching for any sign of the woman I loved, the partner I had trusted. I found none. She was a stranger, and Liam was smirking at her side.

I didn't wait for the meeting to end. I stood up, my chair scraping loudly against the floor. The room fell silent. I walked out without looking back.

My hands were shaking as I packed the few personal items on my desk into a small cardboard box. A framed photo of Chloe and me on the day we signed the papers for Apex. A coffee mug she' d given me that said 'World' s Best Coder'. It all felt like a lie now.

I walked to her office. The door was open. She was inside with Liam, laughing at something on his phone.

"Chloe," I said, my voice steady despite the storm inside me.

They both looked up, surprised. Liam' s smile vanished, replaced by a look of wary triumph.

"Ethan, you can't just walk out of a meeting like that," Chloe said, her tone sharp with annoyance. "It's unprofessional."

"Reducing my pay in front of the entire company, was that professional?" I asked, keeping my voice low. "Cutting the budget for our core technology while you buy him a luxury car?" I nodded towards Liam, who straightened his tie defensively.

"Liam has been an incredible asset," Chloe snapped. "He brings fresh energy. The car was a bonus for his outstanding performance. Maybe if you showed the same level of commitment, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Commitment. The word was a joke. Ten years of my life, seventy-hour weeks, my personal savings poured into this company in the early days. All of it, for this.

"I'm resigning," I said. The words felt liberating.

Chloe' s expression flickered from anger to disbelief. "You can't be serious. Ethan, don't be dramatic."

"I am serious."

Liam stepped forward. "Chloe, maybe he just needs some time to cool off. This project has been very stressful for him." His tone was condescending, drenched in false sympathy.

I ignored him, my eyes locked on Chloe. I thought of the countless nights I' d spent coding, fixing bugs, building the very systems that made her a celebrated CEO. I thought of the sacrifices, the missed family events, the shared dreams that now felt like my personal nightmare. It was all so clear. My loyalty had been mistaken for weakness.

"My resignation is effective immediately," I said, placing my keycard and phone on her desk. The phone was a company phone, but the keycard felt heavier. It was the key to a life I no longer wanted.

I turned to leave. Inside the box I carried, the photo of us was face down. The smiling faces were a painful memory of a past that was well and truly dead.

"Ethan, wait!" Chloe called out, a hint of panic in her voice. "You can't just leave. Apex needs you."

"No," I said, pausing at the door but not turning around. "Apex has you. And it has Liam. You don't need me anymore."

I walked out, leaving the sound of my name being called behind me. The weight in my chest was still there, but for the first time in months, it was joined by a sense of freedom.