Handsome, top of his class, already running his own company when most people were still figuring out their first job.

And I was just a girl from a nowhere town, ordinary in every way that counted.

Like any girl with a hopeless crush, I never dared say a word about it. The bravest thing I ever did was send my résumé to his company. Being a little closer to him, staying near him in whatever small way I could—that was enough for me.

I worked myself half to death during that stretch, pulling overtime shifts and clawing for every scrap of skill I could gain.

All so that one day I'd be worthy of standing beside him, and I'd hear Drew Henson say with his own mouth:

"Delilah, I've had my eye on you for a long time."

But the market back then was brutal.

A campus star.

Step into the real world, and you're just a speck of dust caught in the current.

Of the people who joined the company the same time I did, some jumped ship, others switched industries entirely.

I was the only one still there beside Drew.

Once, the endless late nights finally caught up with me and I ended up in the hospital.

My parents were frantic, begging me every day to find a different job.

And that was exactly when Drew confessed.

He reached for my hand at the hospital bedside—no preamble, no buildup. His eyes were steady, already looking past me toward something only he could see.

"Delilah, stay by my side."

"I want you with me when we take Stellaris Group to the top."

Years of wanting him in silence, and it all came down to that one moment.

I couldn't have said no to him if I'd tried. Not with him looking at me like that.

All I could do was try harder.

Construction runs on dinners and drinks. I learned to walk in heels. Learned to hold court at tables full of executives twice my age. Learned how to plant my feet in a business that chews people up and spits them out.

Building a future alongside Drew was punishing.

I gave everything I had, and it was never enough to satisfy him.

He always said I hadn't done enough, hadn't given enough.

Always felt I wasn't truly trying my hardest.

Just like this time—even losing the baby after months of overwork and sleepless nights only got me:

"Delilah, the workplace is that cruel."

"As the head of Stellaris Group, I have to keep work and personal matters separate."

"The capable rise. Even if you're my wife, I can't show you any favoritism."