Chapter 1

The blue light of my phone cut through the dark nursery. It was 3 a.m. Our son, Leo, was asleep in his crib, his tiny chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. I was supposed to be sleeping, too. Maternity leave was meant for recovery, for bonding. Instead, I was scrolling through LinkedIn.

That' s when I saw it.

A post from my husband, Ethan Reed, CEO of Nexus. He was smiling in the photo, arm slung around a young woman. I recognized her. Chloe Jensen, the new MBA intern. The caption was what made my stomach clench.

"So proud to announce that Chloe Jensen will be taking the lead on Project Chimera. Her fresh perspective and visionary talent are exactly what we need to push this revolutionary AI to the next level. The future is bright at Nexus!"

Project Chimera. My project. The AI-driven logistics algorithm I had spent three years building from scratch. It was the core of our company, the reason Vance Capital, my father' s firm, had given us our seed money. It was my baby, almost as much as the one sleeping a few feet away.

My fingers felt numb as I opened my messaging app.

Me: "What the hell is this LinkedIn post?"

I watched the three dots appear and disappear.

Ethan: "Kat, it's 3 a.m. You should be sleeping."

Me: "You gave my project to an intern."

Ethan: "She' s not just an intern. She has great ideas. We needed to move fast while you' re out."

Me: "I' m on maternity leave, Ethan, not dead. We talked about this. I was still overseeing it from home."

Ethan: "Look, you' re emotional right now. It' s the postpartum stuff. We can talk about this when you' re feeling more like yourself. Just get some rest. For Leo."

He was gaslighting me. Using our son and my health against me.

The anger was cold and sharp. It cleared my head.

I closed his message. I didn't reply.

Instead, I opened my contacts and found the number for Mark Strahan, the EVP of Global Logistics at AmeriCorp. He and I had spent months designing the integration plan for Chimera. The nine-figure deal was set to close next quarter.

I made the call. It rang twice.

"Kat? Is everything okay?" His voice was thick with sleep.

"Mark, sorry to call so late," I said, my own voice perfectly calm. "Something has come up."

"What is it?"

"There have been some unforeseen technical leadership changes on Project Chimera here at Nexus," I said, using the exact corporate words I knew would trigger alarms. "I think it would be prudent for AmeriCorp to pause the integration until we can provide clarity on the new project lead's qualifications and strategic direction."

There was a long silence on the other end.

"Understood, Kat," Mark finally said, all business now. "I'll put a hold on everything first thing in the morning. Thank you for the heads-up."

"Of course," I said. "Talk soon."

I hung up.

I looked over at Leo, sleeping peacefully. Ethan was wrong. I had never felt more like myself.