Chapter 3

Chloe' s shock quickly turned to anger. Her face hardened, the hurt replaced by a cold fury. "Fine," she hissed. "If that's how you want to be, Ethan. Go. See how long you last without me."

She spun around and stormed back to her car, getting in and speeding away without a backward glance. I knew it wasn't over. Chloe didn't handle rejection well.

The next morning, I saw her counterattack. She posted a photo on her Instagram story. It was a picture of her and Liam at a fancy restaurant, a bottle of expensive champagne on the table. The caption read: "Celebrating new beginnings with people who are truly committed to the vision. #ApexInnovations #Forward." It was a pathetic, public jab, and I felt a strange sense of pity for her.

I spent the day dealing with the practicalities of the split. I found a small, furnished apartment to rent month-to-month and redirected my mail. The biggest issue was the house. We owned it jointly, and my name was on the deed. I needed her signature to sell it.

I called her. It went straight to voicemail. I texted. No reply. She was icing me out, a classic Chloe power move. She thought by making things difficult, she could force me to come crawling back. She was wrong.

I called my lawyer and explained the situation. He told me about a power of attorney document we had both signed years ago when we started the company, giving each other authority to sign legal and financial documents on the other's behalf in emergencies or if one party was unreachable. It was meant for business continuity, a sign of our complete trust in each other at the time. My lawyer said it might still be valid for personal assets, but it would be a legal gray area. It was a last resort. For now, I had to try to get her signature the old-fashioned way.

That evening, Mark and I went out for dinner to discuss the Momentum partnership agreement. We ended up at a quiet Italian place downtown. As we were looking at the menus, I heard a familiar laugh.

Chloe and Liam were seated at a corner table. I tried to ignore them, focusing on my conversation with Mark, but I couldn't help but overhear snippets of their talk.

"...and if we just pivot the Aether core to a subscription model, we can cut the R&D team by half," Liam was saying, his voice full of confidence. "Ethan was too sentimental about the tech. We need to be ruthless to maximize profit."

"You're right," Chloe agreed, her eyes shining with admiration. "You have such a clear vision for this, Liam."

He was advising her to cannibalize my life's work. And she was eating it up. The anger I felt was cold and sharp. It wasn't the hot rage of a jilted lover, but the icy fury of a creator watching his creation being dismantled by fools.

I got up and walked to the restroom, taking a route that led me past their table. I needed them to see me, to see that I wasn't hiding. Chloe saw me first, and a flicker of guilt crossed her face before she masked it with a defiant glare.

When I got back to my table, Mark looked at me. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," I said, and I meant it. Seeing them like that, hearing their conversation, it just solidified my resolve. "Let's talk about the future."

We spent the next hour mapping out a strategy for Momentum' s first big project. The creative energy, the collaborative spirit with Mark, it was everything that had died at Apex.

After dinner, Mark walked me to my old car. He stopped beside a brand new, dark blue Tesla parked next to it.

"Actually, this is yours," he said, holding out a key card.

I stared at him. "What? Mark, no. I can't accept this."

"It's a company car," he said with a grin. "Our new CTO can't be driving that old thing. It's bad for the brand." He tossed me the key card. "Welcome to Momentum, Ethan. For real this time."

I looked from the sleek, silent Tesla to my dented sedan. It was more than just a car. It was a new beginning, a tangible symbol of my new life. A life where my worth wasn't just acknowledged, it was invested in. I finally allowed myself to smile, a real, genuine smile.