Chapter 1

The world went gray after the crash. My parents, the heart of our small green tech company, gone. Their plane, a little Cessna, fell out of the Texas sky. Suspicious, the report said, but nothing was ever proven. The company, their dream, teetered on the edge of collapse. I was twenty-five, a software developer, suddenly an orphan, suddenly responsible for everything and nothing. Grief was a heavy coat I couldn't take off. Austin, usually so vibrant, felt muted, hostile. Friends offered condolences, then disappeared. I was alone, the weight of their legacy crushing me. The bank called daily, their voices polite but firm. Bankruptcy loomed.

Then Isabelle, "Izzy," appeared. She was a dream I didn't know I was allowed to have. Her family, oil money, old Texas wealth, a different universe from my parents' earnest innovation. She’d known my parents, admired their work, she said. She found me in the wreckage of my life, offered a hand. Her smile was like the first sun after a long storm. "Ethan, we can save your parents' company. My family can help." Her voice was soft, confident. I clung to her words like a drowning man to a raft. She spoke of belief, of my talent, of the future. Her family provided a loan, just enough to stabilize things, just enough to keep the wolves from the door. "Focus on your work, Ethan," she'd said, her hand warm on mine. "Create. Innovate. That's what your parents would want." I believed her. I fell in love with her, fast and hard. She was my savior, my rock. We married five years ago, a quiet city hall wedding. Izzy said it was out of respect for my parents, too soon for a big celebration. I thought it was sensitive, loving. She supported my every attempt to launch a new product, to revive the company's spirit. Ninety-eight tries. Ninety-eight brilliant ideas, I thought, that somehow fizzled. Each one, Izzy was there, my biggest cheerleader. "Don't give up, Ethan. The next one will be it." Her support was the only thing keeping me going. I trusted her completely. My Izzy.