Had they all forgotten what I'd done for this family?
Marina and I were college classmates.
One afternoon, a downpour hit campus. I slipped on my way back to the dorms and twisted my ankle so badly it swelled up like a balloon. The pain was blinding.
That's when Marina appeared, umbrella in hand, and helped me to my feet.
By the time we reached the hospital, I noticed one whole side of her was soaked through.
"Thanks for that, Marina. Really."
"We're classmates. It's what we do."
She flashed me a smile, bright and unguarded, the kind that belonged to someone who still believed the world was good. That smile burned itself into my memory.
After that, I pursued her.
It didn't take long before we were together.
Near graduation, her family's company ran into serious financial trouble.
She threw her arms around me, sobbing, and told me that to save the family, she'd have to obey her parents and marry some man in his fifties. She'd be his fourth wife. Her job would be to bear him five or six children.
She looked utterly helpless. The light in her eyes had gone out.
My heart broke for her. I promised I'd do everything I could.
So I sold my shares in the startup I'd co-founded with a few classmates. We'd only been running it a year, but it had just started turning a profit. I handed over millions of dollars to keep her family's business afloat.
She held me tight, tears streaming down her face. "I'll spend the rest of my life making this up to you. I swear it."
But money alone wasn't enough.
I joined Pruitt Corp. Armed with my expertise and a willingness to drink myself under the table at every client dinner it took, I dragged her family's company back from the brink of bankruptcy. More than that, I turned it into something thriving.
We got married after that. Our son came not long after.
I thought we'd be happy together for the rest of our lives.
Then, while Marina was in the final weeks of her pregnancy, Tristan Lawrence joined the company as her assistant, fresh out of college.
That's when I noticed she started to change.
Her office door was always closed.
Some nights she didn't come home at all.
She found excuses to travel for business constantly.
When she was home, she'd lock herself in the bathroom, whispering into her phone and laughing softly.
One time, I found her office door locked. I used my key to open it.
She was sitting on the couch with her little assistant wrapped in her arms.
She scrambled to explain. "Honey, Tristan lost his balance and fell on me. Don't get the wrong idea."
And I believed her.
Later, I caught them walking hand in hand through the mall.
Marina explained that some creep had been following her, so she and Tristan held hands and pretended to be a couple to scare the guy off.
Everything she said, I believed. Every single word.
Because I trusted her completely. The thought that she could betray me simply didn't exist in my mind.
But the person I loved most was the one who cut me deepest.
"If you want a divorce, I'll fire you on the spot. And the company won't pay you a cent in dividends."
Marina's voice was cold, threatening. "Without me, you can't survive in this industry. You'll be nothing. You'll end up sweeping streets."
She'd forgotten. I was the one who pulled her family back from bankruptcy.
I was the reason she didn't have to marry some man in his fifties.
When she said those words, I saw raw fear flash through my parents' eyes.
Derek spoke up. "Come on, bro, don't do anything stupid..."
"She just made a little mistake. You should forgive her."
Nathan piped up in his tiny voice. "Daddy, I want you and Mommy to stay together!"
Under the weight of my family's pressure, I fell silent for a long moment.
Then I looked at Marina.
"Fine. No divorce. But you have to agree to three things."
"Get rid of the baby."
"Fire Tristan Lawrence. Cut all contact."
"Give me the fifty percent stake in the company that's rightfully mine."
Back when I'd poured millions into her family's business, she'd promised to convert my investment into half the company's shares.
