His Mistress’ Shopping Spree-Paid by Me

The notification pinged on my phone just as I was finishing the last of the dinner dishes. Ethan had texted earlier saying he'd be working late again—the third time this week. I wiped my hands on a dish towel and picked up my phone, expecting another message about tomorrow's investors' dinner.

Instead, it was a notification from Reddit. Someone had tagged me in a post.

I tapped on it, my thumb hovering over the screen as the page loaded. The title read: "AMA with Ethan Walker, Founder of Nexus Tech: 'Balancing Ambition and Family in Silicon Valley.'"

My husband's face smiled back at me from the header image. He looked polished in his signature navy blazer, the one I'd picked out for him before his last TED talk. I scrolled down to the comments, my eyes catching on a particular exchange.

Reddit User: How do you balance marriage with startup life? Any tips for keeping your partner happy when you're always working?

EthanWalkerNexus: Great question. I think the key is finding the right partner. Someone who understands the demands of your vision and is willing to be flexible. My wife is great at managing our home life, which frees me up to focus on the company. I call her my "Plan B"—the stable foundation that lets me chase Plan A without worrying about the details.

Reddit User: Plan B? That seems kind of dismissive. Don't you mean partner?

EthanWalkerNexus: No, I mean exactly what I said. I settled for Plan B so Plan A could chase condos in Aspen. The condo market there is booming, and my girlfriend has an amazing eye for investment properties. Some people are meant for the spotlight, others are meant to support it. My wife falls into the latter category.

The phone slipped from my fingers, clattering against the kitchen counter. Daisy, my rescue dog, lifted her head from her bed in the corner, dark eyes watching me with concern.

"It's fine," I whispered, though my voice sounded strange even to my own ears.

I picked up the phone again, forcing myself to read the comment a second time. Then a third. Each time, the words sliced deeper, but something else was building alongside the pain—a cold, clarifying anger.

I scrolled further down, finding more comments that made my stomach turn.

EthanWalkerNexus: The great thing about my situation is that I get the best of both worlds. A beautiful, low-maintenance wife who handles the domestic side of things, and a passionate partner who shares my drive and ambition.

I grabbed my laptop from the kitchen island and opened it with shaking hands. Within minutes, I was deep into Vanessa's Instagram account—my college best friend, my confidante, the woman who had cried at our wedding and promised to always be there for me.

There she was, standing in front of a sleek glass building in Aspen, champagne flute in hand. The caption read: "New investment property closed today! #realestateinvestor #aspenliving #dreambig"