He Kept Me a Secret for Three Years, So I Exposed Him in One EmailChapter 3

At Monday's stand-up, Ethan put the fellowship deck on the screen.

"Madison will present slides one through twenty. Chloe will take the technical questions."

I opened the packet. "I built the core model. Why is she presenting it?"

"The selection panel is evaluating executive presence. She needs the exposure."

"Then what am I supposed to present when it's my turn to apply?"

The room went quiet.

Ethan tapped the table. "You didn't apply. Support the team this time."

"Did I choose not to apply, or did you choose not to submit my name?"

He met my eyes. "We're in a meeting. Save your personal feelings for later."

Everyone looked down at their packets. No one dared speak.

Madison tried to smooth things over. "If this bothers you, I can give some of the material back. Ethan said I only need to explain his thinking clearly anyway."

I turned to her. "His thinking?"

She faltered. Embarrassment crossed her face. "Didn't Ethan lead the team that built the model?"

Ethan closed the slide deck. "Technical work belongs to the team. We don't need to argue over individual credit."

After the meeting, I threw up in the restroom.

I had slept only two hours after repairing the model Madison broke. My stomach was empty, and all I could do was dry-heave.

When I returned to my desk, I found a box of antacids waiting for me.

Ethan passed behind my chair and murmured, "Take two. Stop trying to tough it out."

For one weak moment, my heart softened.

Then he stopped at Madison's desk.

"No iced coffee before the interview. It's bad for your stomach. Get something hot."

Madison smiled. "You remembered that?"

I put the unopened medicine in my drawer.

That afternoon, just before the interview, my mother came to the office.

She carried a thermos, and faint marks from the monitoring electrodes were still visible on her forehead.

"I just finished my follow-up. I was nearby, so I brought you something to eat. You ignored my messages again yesterday, so I had to come check on you myself."

I helped her sit down. "How was your blood pressure?"

"The doctor says I'll be fine if I stop getting so worked up." She glanced around the office. "Didn't you say your boss takes good care of you? I should thank him while I'm here."

Ethan was walking out of the conference room with Madison.

Mom followed my gaze and approached him. "You must be Ethan. Chloe talks about you often. Thank you for looking out for her all these years."

Ethan looked at me first.

It lasted half a second, but I knew exactly what the look meant.

Keep your distance.

"That's kind of you, Mrs. Bennett. I manage her team. Looking out for my people is part of the job."

Mom's smile stiffened. "Just her supervisor?"

Madison laughed lightly. "We don't even know whether Chloe has a boyfriend. She and Ethan barely interact at work. They don't even sit together in meetings."

Ethan gave a faint smile. He didn't contradict her.

My mother looked at me as if something had suddenly fallen into place.

She pushed the thermos into my arms. "You get back to work. I'll head home."

I followed her to the elevator. "I'll walk you down."

"No." She squeezed my hand. "Don't you have an interview this afternoon? Don't let me keep you."

Just before the doors closed, she asked softly, "Is he the man who made you ask me to wait for three years?"

My throat tightened. I couldn't answer.

My phone buzzed. Ethan had sent a message.

"Make sure your mother doesn't get the wrong idea. Office gossip would hurt you."

Another appeared immediately after.

"The interview was moved up ten minutes. Come adjust Madison's equipment."

I stood before the closed elevator doors and read those two messages for a long time.

By the time I returned, the interview had begun.

Madison stood at the front of the room, presenting my model, my data, and the work of more than three hundred sleepless nights.

Ethan sat in the first row.

Someone asked, "Who developed this core framework?"

Madison looked instinctively at him.

He lifted the microphone and answered calmly, "I led the team that developed it together."