“My fiancé, Connor, and I had a one-year pact. I'd work undercover as a junior developer in the company we co-founded, while he, the CEO, built our empire. The pact ended the day he ordered me to apologize to the woman who was systematically destroying my life. It happened during his most important investor pitch. He was on video call when he demanded I publicly humiliate myself for his "special guest," Jaden. This was after she'd already scalded my hand with hot coffee and faced zero consequences. He chose her. In front of everyone, he chose a manipulative bully over our company's integrity, our employees' dignity, and me, his fiancée. His eyes on the screen demanded my submission. "Apologize to Jaden. Now." I took a step forward, held up my burned hand for the camera, and made a call of my own. "Dad," I said, my voice dangerously quiet. "It's time to dissolve the partnership."”