**Diary Entry**
James walked out with nothing but a duffel bag slung over his shoulder, as if he were popping to the gym instead of abandoning a decade-long marriage. Id always believed we were solidstable, at least. But there he stood in the doorway, his expression careless, like he was announcing wed run out of tea.
*No point leaving you the keys,* he said, shrugging.
I kept my voice steady, though inside, everything had frozen into a hard, silent knot. *What do you mean, no point?*
*The flats covering the debts, Charlotte. Our joint debts.*
*Joint debts?* I almost laughed. *Your brilliant crypto schemethat was never mine. I begged you not to touch it. Showed you the numbers, told you it was a scam.*
He smirked, and that smirk cut deeper than a slap. *Funny how you celebrated when the first profits rolled in. We holidayed in the Maldives with that money. Debts are ours too. Fairs fair.*
He tossed a thick stack of papers onto the kitchen table, scattering over the napkin holder wed bought on our honeymoon in Cornwall. Loans, liens. Bailiffs in a week.
I didnt cry. Didnt beg. Just stared at him with pure, simmering contempt.
*A week?*
*Call it freedom,* he said, adjusting the cuff of the designer shirt Id bought him last Christmas. *Ive met someone. With her, I can breathe. With you it was all spreadsheets and plans. Dull, Charlotte.*
He didnt mention she was twenty-two, the daughter of an investor hed been desperate to impress. Didnt admit his business was crumbling, and this marriage was his last lifeline.
*Right,* I said, shoving the papers aside. *Get out.*
*No hysterics?* He looked almost disappointed. Hed wanted tearsneeded my weakness to justify his own cowardice.
*Hysterics are a luxury,* I said flatly. *Leave. And dont ever come back.*
With a shrug, he was gone. The door clicked shut.
Alone in the wreckage, I called my brother. *Tom, I need your help. No, Im fine. Im at the beginning.*
Tom arrived within the hour. He pored over the documents, jaw tight. *He set you up. Half these loans are in your name; the rest, youre guarantor. Legally, youre sunk.*
*I trusted him.*
*Trust doesnt excuse recklessness,* he muttered, then sighed. *Alright. Whats this beginning?*
I opened my laptop. The screen lit up with a sleek presentation: *EdenGrow.* Vertical farming systems.
*The hobby James mocked,* I said. *Patented tech, software that slashes energy costs by 30%. All I need is capital.*
Tom exhaled. *Ill invest. Not a loan30% stake. First, hire a solicitor. Youll deal with James through them only.*
Three days later, in a cramped rented office, my lawyer filed for bankruptcy to shield future assets. James called. I ignored it. His text*Just need you to sign a few more papers.*went straight to my solicitor.
*Another loan trap,* came the reply. *No signatures without me.*
I blocked his number. That night, unpacking boxes, I found our wedding album. Two grinning faces. He hadnt loved mejust the reflection of what I could do for him. Without a second thought, I tossed it in the bin.
Eight months later, my tiny office hummed with activity. EdenGrows urban farming tech was a hithigh-end restaurants clamoured for reliably sourced greens. Contracts piled up.
Meanwhile, Jamess empire crumbled. His would-be father-in-law saw through the act and cut him loose. Without me managing the books, his firm collapsed.
Then he struck. Tom called, grim. *James claims EdenGrows a front. Sent forged bank records.*
I didnt flinch. *He wont stop. So Ill stop him.*
Toms cybersecurity expert dug into Jamess past. Two days later, a flash drive landed on my desk. *Ponzi schemes. Fake investment sites. Fleeced his fiancées circle.*
I leaked it discreetly. The fallout was swift. James wasnt arrestedjust ruined. Forced to sell everything. The fiancée vanished.
A year later, I spotted him at a bus stop, hunched against the rain. My sleek electric car idled beside him. I didnt even glance his way. To me, he was just background noise.
The car glided off. In that moment, he realized the truth: his gift to me wasnt freedomit was freedom *from* him.
Two years on, EdenGrow expanded into Europe. One evening, scrolling through the news, I spotted a familiar face in a hotel valets uniform at a society wedding. James.
I felt nothing.
Tom rang later. *Hows Germany?*
*Coming along,* I laughed. *Ever regret backing my hobby?*
*Only that I didnt drag you away from that prat years sooner,* he grumbled. *Youve always been brilliant. He was just a roadblock.*
*Not a roadblock,* I mused. *A distorted mirror. I had to break it to see myself clearly.*
Revenge wasnt his downfallit was my indifference. Freedom wasnt his loss, but my ascent.
