Chapter 3

My new company was fully set up. Suddenly, my phone buzzed. Julian's name flashed on the screen.

I frowned and pressed decline.

That must have pissed him off.

A second later, a text message popped up:

[We can divorce. But if you don't want your latest experimental data deleted forever, you better get your ass home right now!]

At the end of the text, there was an attached screenshot of the files.

That data was the blood, sweat, and tears of my team, compiled over countless sleepless nights. How did he get his hands on it?

Suppressing my anxiety, I typed back:

[I’m coming.]

The moment I pushed the front door open, my stomach turned. Julian was sitting on the living room sofa, and Chloe was practically writhing in his lap.

A laptop was open on the coffee table.

Ignoring the urge to throw up, I pulled the divorce agreement from my bag and slammed it onto the table.

"Julian. For the sake of our past, I’ve revised the terms. Give me the data, sign the papers, and we’re done."

He casually picked up the papers, flipping through them. Within seconds, his face darkened.

He jumped to his feet, slamming the papers onto the floor. "You’re only leaving me this much? Audrey, you better think carefully. Without this research data, your new startup won't survive a single day!"

With that, he stormed out, slamming the front door behind him.

The moment the door shut, Chloe sat up on the sofa. She gave me a sly smirk, and her fingers flew across the laptop keyboard.

She hit the delete button. A progress bar flashed on the screen, wiping the files at lightning speed.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I lunged forward.

But her smirk only grew wider. She suddenly took a sharp step backward, covered her face, and threw herself onto the floor. She intentionally slammed her forehead against the edge of the heavy oak coffee table, making a loud crack.

Then, she screamed at the top of her lungs:

"Audrey! Please! Even if you hate me, you shouldn't delete the company's research! That's everyone's hard work!"

Hearing the commotion, Julian kicked the door open and rushed back in.

The first thing he saw was Chloe crying hysterically on the floor, and me desperately reaching for the laptop to stop the deletion.

His eyes flared with vicious fury.

"Audrey! Do you hate Chloe so much that you've lost your mind?!"

He charged at me and shoved me with all his strength.

I lost my balance and crashed hard into the armrest of the sofa. Before I could even stand up, Julian’s fist slammed directly into my face.

"I told you to think carefully, and you delete the data just to frame Chloe?!"

"You didn't just delete the digital files, you destroyed the paper backups too!"

He grabbed my arm and violently threw me aside.

My head collided heavily with the sharp, solid corner of the marble coffee table.

The world spun, and the next second, darkness consumed me.