Chapter 21 #3
“You’re right,” he says, his voice cracking. “It was a choice. A selfish, cruel, unforgivable choice. One I have not repeated… and never will.”
I search his eyes, desperate for even a small sign of honesty. But he looks away within seconds. The silence that follows feels like a confession of its own.
I turn to my mother. She’s still standing there, her gaze locked on the empty trash bin, as if she’s afraid the truth might claw its way back out.
“I don’t want either of you calling me anymore,” I say. “I don't want you contacting my children.”
My father reaches for my hand. And this time, I let him hold it, trying to figure out if there's still something familiar about him.
There isn’t. So I let this be our goodbye.
“You just need time. I’ll give you all the time you need,” he pleads. “Just… promise me you’ll forgive me. Let me fix this. Let me make amends.”
I pull my hand away.
“I can’t promise that,” I whisper. “You lied for years. I can understand that it was your secret to keep… your marriage. But I will never understand how both of you tried to manipulate me into forgiving Colin. How you’re both still lying even after everything came to light.
I don’t know you anymore. Maybe I never did. ”
Then I walk toward the door. With every step I take away from them, something inside me begins to lift.
Outside, the cold air doesn’t touch me. Not when I already feel frozen from the inside out. I look up at the sky, gray clouds swallowing most of it, and still, I make a wish.
I close my eyes and beg that this will be the last time my heart ever has to break.
Colin
I know the moment I step into the boardroom that it’s over.
Not the company—it’ll survive, maybe even thrive without me—but me, one of the men who built it from nothing, I’m done.
The room is dead quiet. No one looks my way.
Even the ones who once called me a friend—men and women whose hands I’ve shaken through sleepless nights and near-collapses—keep their eyes fixed on the glass table instead.
There was a time when walking into this room made me feel invincible.
My name meant something. My decisions could shift markets.
But today, there’s only this dead weight in my chest. I know there’s nothing I can do to change what’s about to happen.
Jonathan clears his throat. “Colin… the board has reached a decision.”
I nod before he can continue.
I don’t need the speech. The scandal was too public. They don’t care about my marriage, but they care about what the headlines did to the firm.
Reputation risk. Investor confidence. Market stability. All the sterile words they use to dress up the fact that I’ve ruined everything.
And then, the final blow. The discovery of Maya’s involvement in corporate espionage during the final months of last year.
I can’t say Mark didn’t warn me. But I’d still do it all again. For Ceci, for our children.
I didn’t think twice before giving the orders—to IT, to Legal—and laying it all out for the board. I knew what was coming. The countdown started the moment they learned the truth; it was the perfect excuse to push me out.
The scene Maya caused in the lobby weeks ago, screaming that she’d lost our baby, didn’t change what was already dead. It only fed the gossip, the whispers in the hallways, and the judgment in every look that followed me.
I look at Jonathan, waiting for him to finish.
“Given the circumstances,” he says, each word carefully measured, “we believe it’s in everyone’s best interest if you… step down voluntarily. You can frame it as a personal decision, a chance to focus on your family. We’ll support the statement and ensure a smooth transition.”
His tone is diplomatic. But I can hear what he’s really saying: Leave now, before we drag you out.
For a long moment, I say nothing. I just look around and realize this is a small price to pay for what I’ve done—for my ego, for my selfishness. Losing what was once my greatest achievement doesn’t seem to matter anymore. Not after losing my family.
So I agree.
Fighting would only make it uglier. And for once, I want to protect what actually matters. Ceci. Alicia. Ethan. The people I failed the most.
I take the pen. My hand doesn’t shake. Not because I’m steady, but because I’m numb. I sign the document that ends my career, and the sound of the pen on the paper feels like a verdict.
Hannah, the PR director, slides a draft toward me. It’s professional and painfully cold.
I read it once. Twice.
Then I pick up the pen again. And I rewrite it.
Official Statement from Colin Montgomery
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
After deep reflection, I have made the difficult decision to step down from my position as President of Montgomery Clifford & Co.
Over the years, I’ve dedicated my life to building this company and leading a team that has accomplished extraordinary things. I am immensely proud of what we’ve created together.
Recent personal events have reminded me of what truly matters. My children, and the family I’ve built. I take full responsibility for the choices that have led us here, and I believe the right thing to do is to step back and focus entirely on healing and protecting those I love.
Effective immediately, I will be resigning from my role and taking time away from the public sphere. My commitment to this company, its people, and its legacy remains unwavering.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout this journey.
Colin Montgomery
I read it once more before handing it to Hannah.
It was measured, clean enough to pass a legal review. But underneath the neat paragraphs, only I knew what it really meant.
This was what stepping away from power actually looked like. And for someone who had always thrived on control, it felt like losing the last thing I had left.