THE BILLION DOLLAR APOLOGY

I burst through the door of my apartment to find Fiona tearing through my home office. Books were thrown to the floor, drawers were yanked open, and the steel crowbar rested on my desk.

"What the hell are you doing?" I demanded.

She spun around, her ivory raincoat dripping onto the hardwood. She looked frantic, cornered.

"Where is it, Ethan?" she cried out, dropping the victim act completely. "Where is the master drive? The one with the offshore accounts!"

"You really think I’d keep it in my desk?" I stepped into the room, blocking the exit. "How did you even know about the drive, Fiona? I only told Richard about the shredded memo."

She froze, realizing her slip. Her eyes darted around the room. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the platinum wedding band I had left on the table. She held it out to me, her lower lip trembling, instantly trying to switch tactics.

"Ethan, please. My dad is facing federal prison. My mother is falling apart. I’m sorry about the wedding. I’m sorry I laughed. We can fix this. Just give me the drive, and we can go back to how we were."

I looked at the ring sitting in her palm. Two days ago, it represented my entire future. Now, it just looked like a handcuff.

"You knew," I said softly, the realization hitting me like a physical blow. "You didn't just find out on Monday. You knew about the fraud the whole time."

Fiona’s trembling lip stilled. Her expression hardened into something incredibly ugly.

"Of course I knew," she spat. "My name is on the board of directors. If the company goes down, I lose my trust fund, my shares, everything. I agreed to marry you because my father said you were getting too close to our servers. I was supposed to keep you distracted!"

The confession echoed in the quiet apartment. She hadn't just tolerated me; I was an assignment.

"Get out," I whispered.

"Give me the drive, Ethan, or I swear to God—"

"I said get out!" I roared, the anger finally boiling over.

Fiona flinched. She threw the platinum ring hard at my chest. It bounced off and rolled into the corner of the room. She stormed past me, pausing only at the doorway.

"You think you’ve won?" she hissed. "Check your bank accounts, Ethan. Check your company’s public assets. We Ashfords don't lose to the hired help."

She slammed the door.

I rushed to my computer and logged into Bennett Systems' financial portal.

Red text flashed across the screen. ACCOUNT FROZEN - PENDING LITIGATION.

They had filed an emergency injunction. My company's assets were completely locked. I couldn't make payroll. I couldn't pay my lawyers. In 48 hours, I would be bankrupt.

But as I stared at the screen, I noticed an email sitting in my secure inbox. It was from an anonymous sender.

The subject line read: Victoria's Insurance Policy.