Reclaiming Her Empire

filled my nostrils. I was in a hospital bed. S

e assault... it caused a hemorrhage. You'

s dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief, looking pale and victimized

lated from her... episode," Ethan said, not looking at me. "Chloe is

aming me. Still

he brownstone yet, I' ve arranged for you to stay at the company' s extended-stay apartment i

From wife to inc

im, my voice

one was fundamentally dishonest, a liar thr

sed. "What are yo

out Chloe? She' s the most honest, straightforward person I know. U

' t see it. H

tal, I packed my small overnight bag. My rea

the airport. "Could you make sure my first-class ticket

. A final, ve

me, busy helping Ch

ight, coach. Whatever. Just get yourself to New York by the end of the

me like a recalcitrant

s so wrapped up in Ch

International Airp

a great show of being fragile and pregnant – towar

hem get

ed to a diff

to Houston, connecting to Lubbock, then on to Sanderson." My one-way

small regional jet, the roar o

window. Austin, the city of my dreams

than. Good

life that almos

smartly dressed legal courier was wa

Ethan

ered, annoyed at

m a thick envelope. "

and detailing my claim to a significant portion of Innovatech Solu

e' d forgotte

al acquaintance who witnessed th

phone was off, the SIM

t being "dramatic," that I' d "come crawling

and Chloe beaming in Times Square, clinking champagne glasses (non-alcoholic

sweet hashtags: #NewBeginnings,

jealous. He had no idea

t home in Sanderson, a sma

healing. The end

uestions, just cooked my favorit

s, just squeezed my shoulder

, Liam Walker kn

' d gone off to Stanford and then Wall Street an

erson visiting

me, the fading bruise on my ch

haltingly told him everything. Ethan, Chloe, t

, just listened, his

ith emotion. "That bastard. I never trusted him,

y drive. He' d been quietly furious whe

going to do

then, I' m going to f

her week. He encouraged me to bak

ecipes, things I ha

lla, and chocolate began to

said, biting into a pecan pie muffin.

l, friendly loan to start something, a loan I insisted

call it. A small artisanal ba

ter, in a tiny store

rom miles around for my salted carame

k, things were not go

nowledged advice on strategy and personnel, his

the grapevine, was pr

, redecorating the brownstone, and so

emed to consist mainly of planning lavish par

to the New York social pages. A big

nd Marketing Associate Chloe

lled. He saw it as another way to sol

ound was already crum

kery in Sand

t source of encouragement via calls

cond "Sweet Spot" in Austin. It

sensation. A third

ed Texas entrepreneur. Av

flying in for every opening, hi

Woman of Impact" for my entrepreneurial success and

. Public events sti

his, Ava. Let them see you sh

black dress. I felt...

d out abou

happiness with Liam evidently by my side,

o his car in the VIP parking lot, those same t

e more brutal. No w

a sickening punch to my jaw before Liam, a form

n, hard, before secur

t bitch Davis said to make sure you didn' t

e. A

terical, tearful voice note: "Ethan, Ava attacked me! At t

ng her instant

ambulance, Liam holding

loe? Are you trying to destroy every

ing again, but my vo

s. And this time, there are witness

ice deadly calm, calling in favors, g

Ava. I promise yo

n' s world, and Chloe'

loe' s "p

her background for the assault cas

a history.

r, if she had been, sh

nvestigation into the assault, showed a string of STIs. And sev

d intern was a careful

devoted mother-to-be, shattered

cle baby"

ng. A disastrous product laun

ted to see

lowers arrived daily at my Austin bakery, at my par

wing up at "The Sweet

take. A terrible mistake.

roken, desperate man wh

side, a quiet,

e but firm. "Your apologies are self-serving. Y

plead. I just shook my

y been cool towards me after the separat

appealing to our

apart. He needs you. Rem

nd Mrs. Cole," I said respectfully. "And I val

livered a mountain of ev

nts from Chloe to the thugs. Te

ommit aggravated assault. Perjury, for ly

"Tech CEO' s Mistress in Vi

rce was

and Ethan' s now very public and well-documented inf

ight. Not by his grace, but by my

o plan a national expans

e increasin

bling, desperate voicemails. He' d p

Liam hired priva

idea. Drastic, but

safety, and for his own good, befo

rified of their son' s instability.

for Liam and me. A high-profil

hear about it. We

it, just as

ild-eyed, scre

this! We belong toge

am, who easily

truly pathetic. He trie

werful laxative into the canapés meant for my family an

extra security, including plainclothes o

d Ethan' s clumsy a

pted poisoning, all witnessed

trist, discreetly invited by

or stalking, gave his pare

gency psychiatric evaluatio

s. Ethan Cole, the tech wunderkind, was esc

vis was

erjury. She was sentenced to fi

ted world had shattere

ater, Liam and

exas Hill Country, surrounded by bluebo

ory dress, my gran

ee, and deeply,

s no more. I

released from the p

y was bankrupt. His repu

ng but the bitter cons

, a crumpled, tear-stained

n it. Liam bu

d to Ne

ship Manhattan store, a sunny, c

stant succes

partners in every

very long time, I found myse

baby

y. On my own terms

ally given way to a bril