Vanessa crossed her arms and said maybe I should have been a better wife. Jonathan looked horrified, but I told him to let her speak.
She insisted he deserved someone more exciting. I nodded slowly.
“That is fair,” I said, standing up.
“Now he is free to pursue that exciting life,” I added calmly.
Jonathan looked hopeful for a brief moment until I finished. “Just not in my company,” I said.
His face froze as confusion returned. I slid one final envelope toward him.
“This is a notice from the board,” I explained.
He insisted there was no board, but I corrected him. “There is now.”
Inside was an official termination letter. “As majority owner, I held an emergency meeting this afternoon,” I said.
Jonathan read it with shaking hands. “You fired me,” he whispered.
I nodded.
Patricia accused me of destroying my own husband. I looked at her calmly.
“He destroyed himself,” I said.
Vanessa stepped back from him as if she no longer recognized him. She reminded him he had told her he was the CEO.
He said nothing, because he was no longer anything.
I picked up the champagne bottle I had brought to celebrate. I walked toward the door and paused.
“Jonathan,” I said quietly.
He looked up, completely broken.
“Congratulations,” I added.
“For what,” he asked weakly.
I gave him a small, knowing smile. “Today really is the beginning of a new life,” I said.
Then I opened the door.
“But unfortunately, it is not yours,” I finished, stepping outside.
I walked out of the house that now legally belonged to me, leaving behind everything that no longer mattered.
