CHAPTER 1: THE DIVORCE PAPERS
Nathan Brooks had spent fifteen years building Brooks Tech from a tiny garage startup into a company worth hundreds of millions.
He did it for one reason.
His family.
His wife, Claire.
And their ten-year-old son, Liam.
One Friday afternoon, Nathan decided to surprise Claire by coming home early.
As he walked into the house, he heard voices in the living room.
Claire was laughing.
A man's voice answered.
Nathan frowned.
"Claire?"
The laughter stopped.
He walked into the room and froze.
Claire was kissing his Chief Financial Officer, Derek Hayes.
No one moved.
Finally, Claire stepped back calmly.
"You're home early."
Nathan stared at her.
"How long?"
Claire shrugged.
"Two years."
Nathan nearly collapsed.
"Two years?"
Derek smirked.
"You were always too busy making money."
Nathan looked at his wife.
"We have a son."
Claire crossed her arms.
"And Liam needs stability."
"What does that mean?"
Claire tossed a folder onto the coffee table.
Divorce papers.
Nathan laughed in disbelief.
"You've got to be kidding."
"I'm not."
Nathan looked down.
Then his heart stopped.
Claire was asking for the house.
Full custody of Liam.
And half the company.
"You're taking my son?"
Claire's expression hardened.
"You barely spend time with him anyway."
Nathan looked toward the stairs.
Liam was standing there.
"Dad?" the boy whispered.
Nathan started toward him.
But Claire stopped him.
"Don't make this harder."
Nathan left the house that night with a single suitcase.
Three months later, the court ruled in Claire's favor.
Nathan lost almost everything.
But the worst part came six months later.
Liam stopped answering his calls.
Then, on his eleventh birthday, Nathan received a message from his son.
"Mom says you abandoned us. Please stop calling me."
Nathan stared at the message for hours.
Then he quietly deleted every family photo on his phone.
Five years later, he would discover the truth.
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And it would change everything.
END OF CHAPTER 1.
