Chapter 2: You Can't Have Both - His Mother Wanted Divorce, I Wanted His Company Bankrupt

Elena's POV

Three days ago. 8:15 AM.

Sunlight floods through the floor-to-ceiling windows of NexTech's boardroom. Outside, Tribeca is just waking up. Inside, the tension is already suffocating.

I got off a red-eye from Boston at eleven last night. Went to MIT to discuss my dissertation. Was planning to sleep in. Then at eight sharp, Diane's email came through: Emergency board meeting. 8:15 AM. Mandatory attendance.

The conference room is full when I walk in. Diane sits at the head of the table, iPad propped in front of her. Ryan's across from my usual seat. Tom and Lisa, the angel investors, flank them. The company lawyer is here too, notepad out, looking uncomfortable.

Something's off. I can feel it.

Diane looks up as I slide into my chair. Her smile is perfectly polished. "Thanks for coming on short notice, everyone. Simple agenda today. To attract top-tier management talent, I'm proposing we expand the option pool by 15%."

My fingers freeze on my laptop.

Fifteen percent dilution. Ryan drops from 40% to 34%. I drop from 40% to 34%. Diane from 20% to 17%. But here's what matters: I lose my veto power. Below 35%, I have no blocking rights.

I look up. Meet Diane's eyes.

"I object."

Her smile doesn't waver. "Elena, care to elaborate?"

"Our cash flow is healthy. Team's running smoothly. Last quarter we exceeded all KPIs by 20%. We don't need top-tier management talent." I pause. "So what's this really about, Diane?"

The room goes silent. Tom and Lisa exchange glances. The lawyer studies his documents. Diane's smile stays frozen, but her eyes go cold.

"Ryan, as CEO, what's your position?"

Everyone turns to Ryan. Including me. My heart pounds so loud I can hear it.

Please, Ryan. Tell her this is wrong. Tell her you're on my side.

Ryan swallows. His hand grips the table edge. He stares at the reports in front of him. Won't look at me.

"I think... from a long-term perspective, this makes sense."

It feels like someone just put a knife in my back.

"When did you decide this?"

"Elena, this isn't—"

"When did you decide this?!" My voice cuts through the room.

Tom tries to intervene. "Maybe we should take five—"

I don't look at him. My eyes stay locked on Ryan. "Yesterday? Last week? Or before I left for Boston?"

"Dr. Carter, please watch your tone." Diane's voice is ice. "This is a board meeting, not the place for emotional outbursts."

I turn to face her. The anger in my chest burns white-hot. "You know what, Diane? You've never liked me. Not from day one. I'm not from your Brahmin circle. I don't have a trust fund. My parents don't know the mayor." I let my voice drop. "So in your eyes, I'm not good enough for your son, and I'm not good enough for this company's equity."

Diane's face hardens. "This has nothing to do with class—"

"Then what's it about? My technology? Without my algorithm, this company is an empty shell. My hours? I work 80 hours a week. I haven't taken a real vacation in three years." I pause. "Or is it that my ambition threatens your control over your son?"

Ryan looks like he's being ripped apart. His mother believed in him when no one else did. Put her reputation and capital on the line for his startup. But Elena is his wife. His partner. The woman he loves but can never seem to protect.

He knows this vote will destroy her trust. He knows it. But if he votes against his mother, she pulls funding. The company collapses. Everything they built...

"Elena, this is business. Not personal."

The words hit like a slap.

I stare at him. It's like looking at a stranger. I think about the promise three years ago at City Hall. All those late nights coding together. Him saying we're a team.

All lies.

"Business. Right." My voice shakes but I force it steady.

I stand. Grab my bag. Don't look at anyone.

"The meeting isn't over—" Diane starts.

"It is for me."

I'm halfway to the door when I stop. Turn back. Look at Ryan one last time.

"I thought you were different, Ryan. I thought you actually saw me as a partner."

Pause.

"I was wrong."

The door closes behind me. In the conference room, Ryan closes his eyes. Diane flips to the next page like nothing happened.

I walk fast toward my car in the underground garage. My heels click against concrete. Each step feels like walking away from everything I built.

Running footsteps behind me.

"Elena! Wait!"

I don't stop.

"Elena, please!" Ryan catches up, out of breath. He grabs my wrist.

I yank my arm free. Spin around. "Don't touch me."

"I didn't have a choice! If I vote against her, she pulls the funding. The company will—"

"Will what? Go bankrupt? So what?"

Ryan stares at me like I've lost my mind.

I take a breath. Force my voice steady. "You know what the difference is between you and me?"

He stays silent.

"You're afraid of failure. You need to prove to your family you're not just living off their money. That you can succeed." I pause. "But me? I just want to do the right thing. Even if it means failing. Even if it means going broke. Even if everyone thinks I'm crazy."

"We can figure this out. There has to be another way—"

"There is no other way."

I step back. Put distance between us.

"Do you remember what I asked you to promise on our wedding day?"

Ryan freezes. "You said... we're equal partners."

"Equal partners. That means we make major decisions together. That means we support each other. That means when someone tries to hurt me, you're supposed to be on my side."

Ryan reaches out like he wants to hold me. "I've always been on your side—"

"Bullshit."

I open my car door. Slide in. My hands grip the steering wheel. I roll down the window. Look at him.

"I'm sending you divorce papers tonight. Think carefully, Ryan. You want your mom's money and control, or you want me. You can't have both."

The engine starts. I drive away. In the rearview mirror, Ryan stands alone in the parking garage. The shadows stretch long, and he looks completely hollowed out.

Red light.

I finally let myself cry.

Three years. Three years of hiding, of pretending, of being the "business partner" at family dinners and the "CTO" at investor meetings. Three years of waiting for him to choose me. And he never did.

I cry for exactly three minutes.

Then I wipe my eyes. Check the rearview mirror. Red and swollen, but my expression is determined.

I pull out my phone. Dial Jamie.

"I need your help. Do you know any good divorce lawyers?"

On the other end, Jamie sucks in a breath. "Oh my God, you're really doing it?"

I look at my reflection in the rearview mirror. Red, swollen eyes. But there's something else there too. Something I haven't seen in years.

Freedom.

"Yes. I'm finally going to live for myself."