1 The company announced massive layoffs. As a senior executive, my wife, Kathy, was given one protected slot to save someone. Everyone assumed she would give it to me. But when the final list was posted, my name was at the very top. Meanwhile, Kathy’s bumbling little assistant, the one who couldn't file a report without a dozen errors, wasn't just safe—he was promoted three levels, straight into my old position. Later, Kathy held me and tried to explain. “Asher comes from nothing, Stewart. His entire family is counting on this salary. He needs this job more than you do.” She smiled, as if she'd solved everything. “Besides, Asher already found you a new position, right here in this building. The pay isn't quite as good, but we can still commute together. It’s not like we need your salary anyway, so there’s no pressure.” I let out a cold laugh. She thought she had it all figured out, but she had no idea. The job Asher had “arranged” for me was as a security guard in the lobby. My colleagues were furious on my behalf, urging me to file a complaint. But I only came to this company for Kathy in the first place. With the love gone, there was no point in fighting. … The moment my resume went live, my inbox exploded with messages from headhunters. “Oh my god, I’ve been waiting for you to become available for years. I thought you were ride-or-die for your wife and would never leave. Can’t believe my lucky day has finally come.” “I’m drawing up a contract right now. Name your price. Wait for me, you HAVE to wait for me.” “Is this a prank? The grand champion of the Global Robotics Competition is looking for a job? This isn’t some kind of elaborate scam, is it?” I chose a company on the opposite coast, as far from Bayview as I could get. Soon after, my new employer called. “Mr. Hayes, we’re thrilled to have you join us. We’ll be sending a private jet to pick you up in one week.” “Great. See you in a week.” “Where are you going in a week?” Kathy’s voice came from right behind me. “Nowhere special,” I said smoothly. “Just a trip with some friends. Finally have some time off.” She bought it, simply reminding me that the celebration dinner was about to start and I needed to get ready. When we arrived at the banquet hall, a massive banner was stretched across the entrance: “CONGRATULATIONS TO ASHER REID, GRAND CHAMPION ENGINEER OF THE GLOBAL ROBOTICS COMPETITION.” I turned to Kathy, bewildered. She nervously touched her nose. “Asher’s new to the role. He needed a major award to establish his credibility.” “You were leaving anyway,” she added, “so that title was useless to you. I was just putting it to good use.” I took a deep breath, fighting down the rage building in my chest. “Putting it to good use? Kathy, have you forgotten the last three years? How much of ourselves we poured into that robot?” “You said it was like our child. Is this how you treat our child? Just give it away?” Her face hardened with impatience. “Don’t be so dramatic. It’s a product. Asher needed it more, so I gave it to him. It’s that simple.” “Stewart, why do you have to be so cruel to a poor kid who’s had a hard life? I’ve explained this. I hired him, so of course I’m going to look out for him.” “Right,” I sneered. “A high school graduate landing a job at a Fortune 500 tech giant. Perfectly normal.” Kathy was about to retort when a soft, melodic voice interrupted. “Stewart? Kathy? Are you two fighting?” I turned. It was Asher, wearing the very designer suit jacket Kathy had bought me for my birthday this year. It was even a matching set with the dress she was wearing tonight. The moment she saw him, the tension melted from her face. “Why are you waiting out here? You should be inside,” she said, her voice softening to a caress. “I wanted to wait for you,” the boy said, his eyes sparkling as he gazed at her. A smile bloomed on her lips. I ignored them and started to walk into the hall. Asher’s voice, now laced with mock surprise, stopped me. “Stewart, why aren’t you in a suit for the celebration? We have major clients here tonight. It’s not a good look for the company.” My eyes shot to him, cold as ice. “You’re wearing my suit. What else am I supposed to wear?” Asher froze. He’d clearly expected me to swallow my pride for the sake of appearances. He never imagined I’d stopped caring. He quickly started shrugging off the jacket, his voice thick with tears. “I’m so sorry, Stewart. Back home, my brothers and I all had to share one set of nice clothes. I didn’t know you city people were so… particular. I’ve just never worn anything this beautiful before.” As he spoke, he looked at Kathy, his eyes welling up with perfectly crafted hurt. Kathy’s brow furrowed. She placed a hand on his arm to stop him. “Asher didn’t have anything to wear tonight, so I lent him your jacket. There’s no need to be like this.” She sighed and turned to take my hand. “Come on, don’t be angry. My husband looks handsome in anything. He doesn't need a stuffy suit.” It was her classic move. A slap, followed by a sweet. Problem solved. I was about to speak when Asher’s choked voice cut in. “Kathy, I’m so sorry. I think I made Stewart angry. I really didn't know he cared so much. I should just… I’ll buy him a new one to replace it.” Kathy immediately dropped my hand and ran a comforting hand through his hair. “Oh, stop it. You’re going to cry over something so small? Your brother isn’t that petty. Now get inside, this is your big night.” And just like that, as if I no longer existed, she took his arm and led him inside to find a table. As he followed, Asher shot me a look over his shoulder, his eyes gleaming with triumph. At the table, Kathy sat next to me, but her attention was glued to Asher. Every time a new dish was brought out, she’d have the waiter place it in front of him first, urging him to try it. If he liked it, he’d puff out his cheeks and shake his head in a display of pure bliss, and she would giggle, telling the kitchen to make him another portion. Later, on my way back from the restroom, I overheard someone ask her, “Director, aren’t you worried Stewart will just walk out after you put him on the layoff list? He seems pretty down tonight.” Kathy was ladling soup into Asher’s bowl, her voice casual. “Let me put it this way. Even if I slept with Asher tonight, Stewart wouldn’t leave me. You believe that, don’t you?” Asher’s face flushed crimson from his neck to his ears. Kathy pushed the soup toward him and continued with a soft laugh. “He’s just sulking. Give him a few days. He’ll get over it.” The group around her immediately praised her for having me so well-trained. When it came time for toasts, Kathy completely abandoned me, her actual husband. She took Asher from table to table, introducing him to major clients, drinking on his behalf toast after toast. She had a terrible stomach. The slightest bit of alcohol could leave her doubled over in pain for hours. Yet for Asher, she could do this. A bitter, familiar ache tightened in my chest. In the past, I would have rushed to her side, taking the glasses from her hand. Tonight, I didn’t move an inch. Halfway through the dinner, a young female employee approached Asher’s table, holding a beautifully wrapped box of chocolates and a handwritten letter. Her cheeks were flushed as she tremblingly offered them to him as a congratulatory gift. Kathy, who was normally the picture of calm professionalism, stood up and snatched the gifts from the girl’s hands. She threw them into a nearby trash can, her voice sharp with fury. “Instead of doing your job, you’re playing these little games? You don’t have enough work to do? Fine. I’ll tell your manager to give you more. For the next month, you’re not to leave before 11 PM.” No one had ever seen Kathy lose control like that. The entire hall fell silent. The young woman ran out, sobbing. Kathy had lost control for me once, a long time ago. We met as rivals. In high school, she was the undisputed queen, number one in our year for two years straight. Then I transferred in, and on my very first exam, I took her top spot. From that day on, I became her sworn enemy. Finally, after another exam, we tied for first place. She brandished her test paper at me. “Not bad. You can almost keep up.” I rolled my eyes. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. Next time, it’s a one-man show.” We became each other’s only competition. “Stewart, what’d you get for the last question?” “Like I’d tell you.” “Jerk.” … “Kathy, how did you translate that sentence in the English essay?” “Call me ‘big sister’ and I’ll think about it.” “Get lost.” … “Stewart, are you applying to Stanford or MIT?” “What about you?” “MIT.” “Then I’m going to MIT too.” In college, we both majored in artificial intelligence. We were inseparable, still bickering every single day. Until one day, a senior confessed her feelings for me. When Kathy heard the news, she came running, still in her pajamas, one slipper missing. She stormed up to us, snatched the love letter from the girl’s hand, and threw it on the ground. Her eyes were red as she turned to me. “Stewart Hayes, will you be my boyfriend?” From that day on, we were the power couple, a perfect match. But now, all these years later, seeing her lose control like that again—but for another boy—it was like all the fight, all the energy, had been siphoned out of me. The whole thing just felt so… pointless. I stood up and walked out of the banquet hall. Kathy followed me. “Why are you angry again?” “Am I? Why would I be angry?” “It’s because I helped Asher, isn’t it?” she said. “He’s too soft. He doesn’t know how to turn girls down. I was just helping him out. You don’t have to be so petty.” “Were you helping him, or helping yourself? You know the truth. If your conscience was clear, you wouldn’t have chased me out here to explain.” I stared at her. “Kathy, even you can’t say you have no feelings for Asher without feeling like a liar.” She opened her mouth to argue, but Asher rushed out, bowing repeatedly in a frantic apology. “Stewart, this is all my fault! Please don’t fight with Kathy because of me!” “Someone like me shouldn’t have come to a place like this. Here’s your jacket. I’m leaving.” He tore off the jacket, shoved it into my hands, and then wrapped his arms around himself, his body trembling as he turned to leave. His thin shirt clung to his frail frame, making him look utterly pitiful in the cold night wind. Kathy immediately ran to his side, taking off her own coat and draping it over his shoulders. She looked back at me. “Asher lives far out. I’m going to drive him home. I’ll be back to pick you up.” She had stood me up for Asher more times than I could count. I had no expectations left. I took a cab home myself. At three in the morning, her call finally came. “Stewart? Are you still at the hotel? I’m so sorry, I had too much to drink, I forgot to…” “Kathy? Who are you calling?” Asher’s sleepy voice mumbled from the other end. “You’re restless even in your sleep. Stop it and go back to bed.” The line went dead. I laughed, a hollow, bitter sound, and hung up, refusing to let my mind wander. The next day, I went to the office to finalize my resignation. I was in Kathy’s office, waiting for her final signature, when Asher burst in. He was a complete mess, and he fell to his knees in front of me. “Stewart, if you think I stole your job, you can have it back! Just please, please tell everyone to stop isolating me!” “I was bullied my whole life,” he sobbed. “I can’t take it anymore.” He cried so pathetically. If it weren’t for the fact that there wasn’t a single bruise or scratch on him—only a strategically ripped, soaking wet shirt that clung to his abs—I might have actually believed him. But as ridiculous as the lie was, Kathy bought it. “Stewart. Apologize,” she said, her face cold. “I didn’t do anything. Why should I apologize?” Asher flinched as if I’d struck him and scurried behind Kathy. “If you didn’t do anything,” he whimpered, “then why was I disqualified from the International Robotics Competition?” “Everyone knows how you got first place anyway. It’s because you know the judges.” “But just because you have connections, does that give you the right to destroy the only chance a poor kid like me has to make it?” Kathy’s brow tightened. She turned on me. “Did you have Asher’s qualification revoked?” We had been married for over a decade, and this is what she thought of me. I met her gaze, my own eyes like chips of ice. “Before the competition, you altered the program code without authorization, causing our company’s robot to malfunction and grope a judge on stage.” “The judge gave you a low score, so you threw a tantrum in the middle of the arena, disrupting the entire event. If I hadn’t had security drag you away and then salvaged our score in the later rounds, would our company have won first place at all? For someone who so blatantly disregards the rules, being disqualified is the bare minimum.” Asher was speechless. He could only bite his lip and twist the hem of his shirt, resorting to his usual tactic. “Stewart, not everyone is as sharp and brave as you,” he choked out. “I’m just a boy from the mountains. I’m not good with words, I’ve never been to a competition that big, and I don’t know how to talk to those important people. But I do know that everyone is equal. Even if you have privilege and can take shortcuts, you can’t just block my path.” “I know you look down on me, but you can’t keep using my weaknesses to mock and humiliate me!” Kathy was furious. She signed the resignation form and threw it on the floor. Her voice rose. “Get out. Our company has no need for someone who wins through dirty tricks and maliciously suppresses new talent.” I thought I no longer cared. But hearing those words from her was like a physical blow, a heavy weight slamming into my chest. A dull ache spread through my veins, making it hard to breathe. The same woman who used to stay up all night with me, developing our projects, looking at me with awe and calling me the next star of the AI world, was now accusing me of cheating. I didn’t bother arguing. I picked up the papers from the floor, turned, and slammed the door behind me. That night, I met up with a good friend for a farewell drink. As I was looking for our private room, I heard a familiar voice. “Mom, Dad, I promise I’ll take good care of Asher.” I followed the sound and saw Kathy, locked in a deep kiss with Asher. She was dressed elegantly, clearly making a good impression on her future in-laws. So this was a family dinner for them to meet. It wasn't that I hadn't imagined this moment. But seeing it happen for real… it didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. Our eyes met. Kathy’s hand trembled, and the glass of wine she was raising for a toast slipped, spilling all over the floor. Seeing her so flustered, Asher’s relatives grew even more skeptical. “Does Asher really work at a Fortune 500 company? I just don’t believe it.” “Are their standards really that low now? A high school graduate can just walk in?” Asher’s face was beet red, but no matter how he tried to explain, they wouldn’t listen. I had no desire to get involved. I turned to leave, but Kathy called out to me. “Stewart, come over here. As the junior assistant who was fired to make way for Asher, you can help verify his position.” I stared at her in disbelief. It wasn't enough that she broke company rules to fire me; now she wanted to humiliate me like this? Meeting my gaze, a flicker of guilt crossed her face. She leaned in close, whispering in my ear. “Asher’s parents are pressuring him to get married. I’m just helping him put on a show. Please, just play along.” “If you do this, I promise… we can have a baby this year.” Her words froze me to the spot. My own parents had begged us for a grandchild for years. No matter how much they pleaded, she had always been adamant about being child-free. I wanted kids, but I respected her choice. I thought it was an ironclad rule for her. But for Asher, that rule could be so easily broken. It was then I understood. Rules only apply to the people you don’t love enough. Realizing this, I let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “Kathy, do you dare tell them what our relationship really is?” “Do you dare tell them that Asher is nothing but a gigolo who sleeps his way to the top?” Before I could finish, her palm cracked across my face. She had never, ever shamed me like this in public. A defiant rage surged through me. I had to tell them the truth. “Asher is nothing but a little home—” SLAP. Another one. After three or four hard slaps, my mouth was swollen and numb. I couldn't form words anymore. Blood filled my mouth, trickling from the corner of my lips. Kathy finally seemed to register the horrific state of my face and started to step toward me. But a single, heartbroken sob from Asher made her turn back to him. She began desperately explaining things to his family, completely oblivious to me by her side, gasping for air as a full-blown asthma attack took hold. It had been years since my last attack. The accumulated stress, exhaustion, and now the force of her blows had triggered it again. It felt like a band was tightening around my lungs, squeezing the air out. I desperately tried to breathe, but it was useless. Cold sweat soaked through my shirt. The sounds of the argument around me faded into a dull roar. I tried to reach for Kathy, to get her to take me to a hospital, but she didn’t even see me. In the end, it was my friend who found me, passed out in the hallway, after I’d been gone for too long. When I woke up in the hospital, Kathy was clutching my hand, her eyes filled with guilt. “Stewart, why didn’t you call for help? If something had happened to you, what would I do?” I looked at her, my voice cold. “You were the first person I tried to get help from. But you were too busy saving Asher to even notice me.” Kathy froze, the memory of the scene flooding back. Guilt washed over her face. “I’m sorry. I was careless. It’s my fault.” “If you had seen me,” I asked, “would you really have left Asher in his predicament to save me?” She hesitated for a fraction of a second before forcing a smile. “Of course.” I gave a bitter laugh. That single moment of hesitation was the real answer. Years ago, when my asthma was at its worst, she would panic at the slightest wheeze, forcing me to get full check-ups. She carried an inhaler for me, and I carried one. One for me, and one for backup. But now, whether or not to even save my life was a question she had to pause and consider. Her choice couldn’t have been clearer. Just then, her phone rang. Asher’s tearful voice came through the speaker. “Kathy… Kathy, my parents found out the truth. They’re forcing me to quit my job and go back home. What do I do?” Kathy shot to her feet, a panic in her eyes I had never seen before. She took a step toward the door, then her gaze fell on me, and she actually hesitated. I smiled. “Go ahead.” “But you…” “Didn’t you hire a nurse for me?” Hearing that, an unmistakable look of relief and joy spread across her face. She leaned down, pressed a firm kiss on my forehead, and smiled. “I’ll be back soon.” I watched her leave, wanting to say something more, but in the end, the words wouldn't come. The easy conversations, the unbreakable intimacy we once shared… all that was left was silence. The next day, I went home to get the divorce papers we had signed years ago out of the safe. But when I opened it, they were gone. At the same time, I received a call from the new company. “Hello, Mr. Hayes. We just need to verify a few details on your file.” “Your employment form lists your marital status as ‘married,’ but our background check shows that you were recently divorced.” The voice on the other end was polite and clear.
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