No Second Chances: A Founder's Regret

Ethan Vance ten

I was his CTO, his confidante, and, I thought, his future. We built this company from his fa

ination of that decade-long dream

nd buzzing with final projections

xpensive suit was sitting in my chair, the

he room felt thick. Eve

ce. "Sarah, perfect timing. Everyone, I'd like to int

promised me for years. Th

od ran

rom the East Coast," Ethan continued, his voice smooth a

'd never seen before. "Sarah, I'll need you to give Chloe your

elf, with a whiteboard wall covered i

board members on me, a m

ood there, my prepared remarks

cuum. Ethan and Chloe. COO. My office. The words just looped, devo

eryone had left. Only Ethan and I re

?" My voice was quiet

table. "It's a business decision, Sarah. The board agrees. For wher

years, Ethan. I was here when we couldn't make payroll. I was the one c

. I hired and mentored every single engineer. I've been y

ning cold. "I always knew we'd need someone with

awn on me. "You mean someone who didn't grow up in a blue-collar

on unreadable. "Chloe is... she's my

s casual, almost

n. "You kept me running your company, solving all your problems, whi

he said, but his def

just the workhorse from the wrong side of the tracks. Good enough to

stood there, a stranger in

of love, sacrifice, and shared drea