The Price of a Slice of Cake

1
I made the mistake of eating a slice of cake the intern had baked for my wife, Claire.
Claire frowned, disgusted. She dragged me to the hospital and forced the doctors to pump my stomach three times. The procedure was so violent it destroyed my stomach lining. To save my life, they had to perform a partial gastrectomyremoving two-thirds of my stomach.
Now, I survived on liquid diets. Within weeks, I was nothing but skin and bones.
Claire didnt care. I watched her hand-feed steak to Rob, the intern, wiping sauce from his lip with her thumb.
When I asked her, eyes red and stinging, why she treated me this way, she looked at me with pure disdain.
"You ate the cake Rob made for me with his own hands. Consider this a lesson."
So, Rob was that important to her. And I was nothing.
Fine. If thats how it is, Ill leave. Ill let them have each other.

After the surgery, my body was a wreck. Because I couldn't absorb nutrients properly, dizzy spells became my new normal.
I hadn't even fully recovered, yet I was alone in the office, working overtime to fix a critical error in the company's data. Suddenly, the incision site in my abdomen began to throb with blinding pain.
I scrambled for the painkillers on my desk, shaking the bottle. Empty.
The office was a tomb. Even security had clocked out for the night.
Desperate and sweating, I called Claire.
She hung up on me three times. On the fourth try, she finally answered.
"Claire... I... my stomach is burning. Please, can you bring me the prescription painkillers from the house?"
I was gasping for air, trying to talk through the agony.
Claire let out a sharp tsk. "You are unbelievable."
It was an emergency. The pharmacies were closed.
"Claire, please. Just this once."
There was a two-second silence. Then, Robs voice floated through the speaker, bright and mocking.
"Liam, come on. Why are you such a buzzkill? You had to pick my birthday dinner to bother Claire?"
"And the stomach thing? Your surgery was days ago. Can't you come up with a better excuse for attention?"
I gritted my teeth. "Claire, Im only here working overtime to save your companys biggest project. I just need the medicine. Thats it."
I knew the answer before she spoke, but a pathetic part of me still hoped.
I remembered when we first started dating. She had a high fever, 104 degrees. I ran through a thunderstorm to get her medicine, nearly getting hit by a car in the process. I never complained. I just wanted her to be okay.
Claire took the phone back. Her voice was ice.
"Rob is alone in this city. He has no family. He shouldn't spend his birthday alone."
"Hes just a kid, Liam. Im celebrating with him. Your scar hurts a little? Grow up. Its not life-threatening."
"But... it really hurts," I whispered. Cold sweat had soaked through my dress shirt.
"Figure it out yourself. Stop being a burden."
Click.
The line went dead. Another call with my wife, another knife in my back.
The pain was so intense I started dry heaving, clutching the trash can, but nothing came out except bile. The room spun.
Still, I forced myself to sit up. I hit 'Save' on the project proposal. This file was my life's bloodthe result of months of grueling research.
The moment the progress bar hit 100%, my body gave out. I collapsed onto the office floor and blacked out.
I dont know how long I lay there.
When I opened my eyes, morning sunlight was harsh against my face. The pain had dulled to a throb. I reached for my phone to call an ambulance, but a notification from Rob popped up on my feed.
Received the best gift ever. Thank you, Claire! <3
The photo showed a brand new Porsche 911. Value: at least $200,000.
I remembered asking for a sensible sedan last year for my commute. Claire refused, citing "budget cuts" and "frugality." I still didn't have my own car.
Yet she handed a luxury sports car to an intern like it was candy.
No one liked or commented on Robs post. It was obvious he had set the privacy settings so only I would see it.
I closed the app, laughing bitterly at myself.
Immediately, a message from Rob arrived.
"Did you see it, Liam?"
"Everything I want, I get. I honestly pity you. You've been wagging your tail around Claire for so long, but you're less than a dog to her."
"Its embarrassing. If I were you, Id crawl into a hole and die."
Rage flared in my chest, but I pushed it down. I didn't have the energy to fight a boy toy.
The priority was the project. This new drug formulation was my ticket out. The bonus alone would be enough to sustain me for years after I filed for divorce.
I pulled myself into my chair and woke up my computer.
My desktop was empty.
The filemy proposal, my data, my researchwas gone.
Panic set in. I searched every drive, every folder. Nothing. Wiped clean.
Ding.
A message from Claire.
"Meeting in five minutes. Major announcement."
My head was pounding. A bad feeling settled in my gut, heavier than the missing piece of my stomach.
Claire walked into the conference room five minutes later. Rob was right beside her, holding a thick leather-bound folder.
He looked at me, his eyes dancing with malicious triumph.
"Lets give a round of applause for Rob," Claire announced, her voice projecting authority. "After three months of tireless work, he has finalized the proposal for the new synthetic drug."
"Ive reviewed his data. Its flawless. Once the FDA approves this, we go straight to production."
"Congratulations, Rob. Hard work pays off."
Applause erupted. Rob stood up, bowing theatrically, soaking in the praise.
My ears were ringing. A high-pitched whine drowned out the clapping.
Rob began his presentation. He was reading my words. Explaining my formulas.
That was my work. My life.
I fought through the nausea and slammed my hand on the table.
"That is my proposal!"
The room went silent. The executives stared at me.
Claire frowned, looking at me like I was a stain on the carpet. "Sit down, Liam. Youre making a scene."
Rob, the thief, didn't even flinch. He played the victim instantly.
"Just because you say it's yours doesn't make it true, Liam."
"Mr. Sterling, I know you're senior to me, but you can't bully a rookie just because you're older."
"I spent three months not sleeping, losing my hair over this data, and you just want to claim it?"
He sniffled, his eyes glistening. "Claire, Im just a fresh graduate. I know I don't have his status, but he can't just erase my hard work!"
Claire immediately softened. She reached out and wiped a tear from his cheek in front of the entire board. It was intimate. Disgusting.
The executives turned on me.
"Liam, thats low. Trying to steal credit from a kid?"
"I thought you had integrity. Clearly, I was wrong."
"Jealousy is an ugly look on you."
I looked around the room. Accusing eyes everywhere. No one saw the dark circles under my eyes, the weight Id lost for this company.
My throat tickled, and I hacked out a dry cough.
Claire glanced at me, a flicker of annoyance crossing her face.
"Does no one see what Ive done?" I rasped, my voice breaking. "No one wanted this project. I took it. I built it from nothing. And now you let him steal it?"
"If it's yours," Rob challenged, "prove it."
"Where are your drafts? Your search history? Your download logs? Even a timestamp on your computer?"
He knew. He knew my computer had been wiped.
"I sent a draft to Claire," I said, desperate. I looked at my wife. "Claire, last week. I emailed you the preliminary data. Check your inbox. Prove to them its mine."
Claire looked at me. Then she looked away.
The room waited.
Finally, she spoke. "I do have a draft in my inbox."
I exhaled. Thank God.
"But," she continued, her voice flat, "that draft came from Rob. Not you."
"What?" I stood up, swaying. "Thats a lie! You asked to see my progress! I sent it to you!"
Rob smirked. "Stop lying, Liam. Its pathetic. Claire already confirmed it."
"Show us a screenshot then," he goaded. "Unless you don't have one?"
I didn't. My phone had been remotely wiped and reset while I was passed out. My laptop was clean.
I looked at Claire, pleading with my eyes. Five years of marriage. Doesn't that mean anything?
Claire didn't flinch. She drove the final nail into the coffin.
"The timestamps confirm Rob is the author."
"Rob was top of his class at university. I entrusted this project to him secretly months ago. He delivered."
"As for Liam... I suspect he is jealous of Rob's natural talent. Hes refusing to accept that hes been surpassed."
In three sentences, she branded me a plagiarist and a failure.
"Claire," I whispered, ignoring the room. "Do you care so little about our marriage?"
She turned her cold gaze on me. "Mr. Sterling looks tired. Since your stomach still hurts, take a leave of absence. Indefinitely."
"But... my drug..."
"The drug? Rob will handle the production phase. You aren't needed."
I collapsed back into my chair. Defeated.
The meeting ended. They all left for a celebratory lunch at a five-star hotel. They fawned over Rob like he was the messiah of pharmaceuticals.
I sat alone in the empty conference room all afternoon, stomach cramping, trying not to vomit air.
That night, I dragged myself home. Claire wasn't there.
My phone pinged. A message from an unknown number.
"Pick me up. Room 3023, The Ritz."
It was Claire's tone.
I drove to the hotel, exhausted. I walked down the plush corridor to room 3023.
Before I could knock, I heard it.
"You're so beautiful, Claire..."
Robs voice. Followed by giggles and the unmistakable sounds of skin on skin.
My hand froze in mid-air.
I stood there for an eternity until the sounds died down. Then, I forced myself to ring the doorbell.
Rob opened the door. He was wearing nothing but a towel.
Behind him, clothes were scattered across the floora trail of infidelity leading to the bed.
"Oh, Liam. Youre here," he said casually. "Claire had too much wine. I was just taking care of her."
The rage I felt was so potent I thought my stitches would burst. I wanted to smash his face in.
"Shh," he put a finger to his lips. "She finally fell asleep. Don't wake her."
I looked past him. Claire was sleeping soundly in the king-sized bed.
"Come outside," I hissed.
We went to the hotel bar downstairs. It was empty.
"You sent the message, didn't you?" I asked. "And you wiped my computer."
Rob took a sip of water, a smug grin spreading across his face. "Guilty. But you missed the point."
"What point?"
He laughed. A cruel, barking sound.
"Youre so slow. Didn't you realize? Claire allowed all of it."
"The theft, the wiping of the data... she orchestrated it. She told me the day I was hired that shed give me a flagship project to launch my career."
My blood ran cold. It had been a setup from the start.
"Why?" I choked out. "Why do this to me?"
"Why? Look in a mirror," Rob sneered. "Claire only married you because you looked like her first love. The one who died."
"But now Im here. Im younger, better. Youre just a fading copy of a dead man. You have no value."
"Well, except one value: doing the grunt work so I could put my name on it."
I felt like I had been gutted all over again. I knew I resembled her ex, but hearing it weaponized like this was agonizing.
"You stole the file," I said, my voice shaking, "but you didn't steal the core algorithm. The encryption key is in my head. Well see who wins."
Rob laughed again, hugging his chest.
"The core tech? Liam, you are so naive. Claire knew youd say that."
He tossed a manila envelope onto the table.
"Take a look. We have everything. Your passwords, your encryption keys, your private backups. Claire lived with you for years. She knows your habits better than you do."
I opened the folder with trembling hands. It was all there. Every safeguard I had built was dismantled.
Just then, footsteps approached.
Claire walked into the bar, looking refreshed.
I looked up at her, heartbreak washing over me. "Claire... this was my life's work."
She couldn't meet my eyes. She looked at the floor, then hardened her expression.
"Its for the good of the company, Liam."
"Rob is the future. He has the charisma to sell this. You don't."
"It gives him a head start in the industry."
I let out a broken laugh. "For Rob. Everything is for Rob. Five years of marriage... am I worth less than dust to you?"
"What am I to you, Claire?"
She stopped pretending. She shrugged.
"Its just a patent, Liam. Haven't I given you three years of my youth? Isn't that payment enough?"
"If you're going to be difficult, I'll pay you off. But the project belongs to Rob. Don't fight me on this."
Rob waved his hand dismissively. "Claire, send him away. Hes depressing to look at."
Claire pulled a bank card from her purse and flicked it at me. It hit my chest and clattered to the floor.
"Severance. Take it and leave the company. Your presence makes Rob uncomfortable."
I bent down and picked up the card. It felt heavy.
"One last question," I said softly. "Are you really throwing away everything we had?"
"Yes." Her voice was razor-sharp. "From the moment Rob walked in, you became obsolete. You were just a placeholder."
That broke the last chain binding me to her.
"Fine. Ill go."
I walked out of the hotel into the cold night air. I had lost my job, my wife, my health, and my creation.
But as I stood on the curb, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a business card I had kept hidden for months.
I dialed the number.
"Ms. Vanguard? Its Liam Sterling. Im ready to join you."

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