That's good, right? You've been working on that for months. B. I need It's good for the company. It's what we need to stay competitive.
She set the cup down. But it means I'll be traveling more. A lot more. Starting next month. Something cold settled in Ethan's stomach.
How much more? Two weeks in Singapore, then Hong Kong, then probably back to Singapore for another week. She wouldn't meet his eyes. And that's just the first phase. Once we start building out the infrastructure, I'll need to be there every month, maybe twice a month.
For how long? A year? Maybe two. The kitchen fell silent except for the hum of the refrigerator. Ethan stared at the wobbly table between them, the one he still hadn't fixed, and tried to process what she was saying.
Two years, he repeated. I know, I know it's a lot. It's not a lot, Selena. It's everything. He stood up, needing to move, needing to do something other than sit there, feeling the ground shift beneath him.
You'll be gone more than you're here. It won't be that bad. I'll come back between trips. We can video call every night. video calls. He laughed, but it came out wrong.
That's what we're going to be, people who video call. Don't do that. Her voice sharpened. Don't make this sound like I'm choosing to leave you. Aren't you?
I'm choosing my career, the company I built from nothing. That's not the same thing. Ethan turned to face her. What about Chloe? She's finally starting to trust you, to look forward to seeing you, and now you're going to disappear for weeks at a time.
I'm not disappearing. I'm working in Singapore. Yes, in Singapore. Selena stood now too, her hands braced on the table. I can't just walk away from this, Ethan.
This expansion determines whether my company survives the next 5 years. If I don't go, if I don't oversee every detail personally, it falls apart. And if it falls apart, I lose everything. Not everything. You don't understand.
This company is It's all I have. The words hit him like a slap. All you have. Selena's face changed. That came out wrong.
Did it, Ethan? You have us, me and Chloe. We're right here, but apparently that's not enough to compete with board meetings and expansion deals. That's not fair. None of this is fair.
He grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair. I need to go for a walk. It's 11 at night. I know what time it is. He left before she could say anything else.
Stepping out into the November cold without bothering to zip up his jacket. The street was empty. Just rows of identical houses with their porch lights burning. Somewhere a dog barked. Somewhere a car alarm went off and then stopped.
Ethan walked until his hands went numb, trying to untangle the knot in his chest. He'd known this would happen. known from the first night that someone like Selena couldn't stay in a life like his. She was built for boardrooms and first class flights and decisions that moved millions of dollars. He was built for parent-teacher conferences and frozen pizza and making sure Khloe's homework got done. Different worlds always had been.
When he came back forty minutes later, Selena was still sitting at the kitchen table. Her laptop was closed. The tea had gone cold. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. What I said about the company being all I have, that was stupid.
Ethan sat down across from her. Was it? Yes, because it's not true anymore. She looked at him and her eyes were wet. Before I met you, it was true.
The company was everything. Work was everything. I didn't have anything else because I didn't want anything else. It was safer that way. Safer than what?
Than this? Than caring about someone enough that it scares me. She wiped at her eyes impatiently. I'm not good at this, Ethan. I don't know how to balance a relationship and a company and a kid who's not even mine.
I don't know how to be what you need and still be what my investors need. I'm not asking you to choose. Yes, you are. Maybe not in those words, but that's what this is. Stay here or go to Singapore.
Be with you or save my company. Ethan reached across the table, took her hand. What if it doesn't have to be one or the other? How How does that work when I'm 12 time zones away? I don't know, but we figure it out.
We make it work. Selena's laugh was bitter. You have more faith than I do. Maybe. Or maybe I just think you're worth the effort.
She pulled her hand back. Don't say things like that. Why not? out because it makes this harder. She stood up pacing now. You want to know the truth?
I'm terrified. I'm terrified that I'll go to Singapore and you'll realize you're better off without me. That Chloe will forget me. That I'll come back and this whole thing will be over because I couldn't be here when you needed me. That's not going to happen.
You don't know that. Uh, you're right. I don't. Ethan stood too. But I know that if you walk away now because you're scared, then we definitely don't make it.
So yeah, maybe it falls apart while you're in Singapore. Maybe the distance kills us, but at least we tried. Selena stared at him. You really believe that? I have to.
Otherwise, what's the point of any of this? She crossed the kitchen and kissed him hard and desperate like she was trying to memorize the shape of his mouth. When she pulled back, her cheeks were wet. "Okay," she whispered. "We try." The first trip to Singapore came three weeks later.
Selena packed her suitcase in Ethan's bedroom while Khloe sat on the bed, watching with the kind of quiet intensity that meant she was processing something big. "How long will you be gone?" Khloe asked. "two weeks." "That's forever," he "It's not forever. It's 1four days." Selena folded a blouse, set it carefully in the suitcase, and I'll call you every night before bed. Deal? What if I'm already asleep?