Clare stepped forward with that infuriatingly placid expression she always wore—the look of a woman who felt entirely at home in spaces where Emma was merely a tolerated guest. Her blonde hair fell in soft, premeditated waves over a cashmere sweater that cost more than Emma’s monthly grocery budget.

Ethan woke up in his Back Bay townhouse, expecting Emma to have called or texted an apology by morning. Instead, his phone was blowing up with alerts from his corporate accountant.

He stumbled out of bed, threw on a robe, and answered a frantic call from his chief financial officer, David.

"Ethan, we have a catastrophic emergency," David shouted through the speaker. "All corporate operating accounts have been slapped with an emergency injunction by a family court and corporate holding asset freeze. Payroll bounced this morning!"

"What are you talking about?" Ethan roared, rubbing his sleep-heavy eyes. "How can payroll bounce? We have the Series A backing coming in next week!"

"No, we don't!" David stammered. "The primary holding trust—the one tied to Emma’s grandfather's estate—just revoked its underlying IP and capital assignment. Every single cent is frozen under a fraud and breach covenant filed by Emma’s legal counsel!"

Ethan dropped his phone onto the hardwood floor.

Emma?