6: The View from the Bottom

Daniel's POV. 

I noticed it the moment I woke up. The bed was cold.

That shouldn't have mattered, but it did. Hannah never woke up before me. For three years, she waited for me to move first, like the house itself needed my permission to breathe.

I checked the bathroom. Empty. No damp towel on the rack. No sound of the shower. I felt a small nudge of annoyance in my chest. This was new behavior. New behavior meant a mess, and I hated messes.

I figured she was sulking. Yesterday had been ugly. She’d followed me to Grace’s, made a scene, and embarrassed herself. I expected a note on the counter...something small and apologetic.

There was nothing. The coffee machine was dark. No breakfast. No Hannah.

I scoffed and straightened my cufflinks. She would come around. She always did. She had nowhere else to go and no money to get there.

Work would reset things.

By the time I pulled into the office, my irritation had settled. This was my world. Here, people listened. Here, people knew I was the man who kept the wheels turning. I walked past the receptionist without a word and headed for my desk. I had a meeting with Alexander Mercer later about my promotion. Everything was still on track.

At 9:17 a.m., an email popped up: MANDATORY. Executive briefing. Conference room A.

I smiled. This was it. Alex liked to do things with a bit of a flourish. He was probably going to announce the new Director role early. I straightened my tie, grabbed my tablet, and headed upstairs.

The room was full. Senior staff, finance heads, everyone who mattered. I took my usual seat right at the front and crossed my arms, waiting for Alex to walk in.

Then the door opened.

Alex walked in, looking as calm as ever. But someone was walking beside him.

My heart did a weird, sickening flip. My brain stalled.

Hannah.

She wasn't hiding behind him. She wasn't looking at the floor. She was walking with her chin up, dressed in a sharp, dark green blazer I’d never seen before. Her hair was different, the exact one she had from yesterday. It wasn't that limp, lifeless mess I’d forced her to keep. It was a sharp, angled bob that made her jaw look like a blade.

She didn't look at me. Not once.

Hannah always looked at me first. She always searched my face for a nod, a frown, a sign that she was doing the right thing. This woman didn't even acknowledge I was in the room.

I sat there, my pulse was thumping in my ears, waiting for someone to point and laugh at the mistake. But nobody did. The staff just nodded at her. They looked at her with respect.

Alex cleared his throat. “Let’s get started. I know this was short notice.”

He talked for a few minutes about "restructuring" and "new leadership." I barely heard a word. I was too busy staring at the woman sitting in the seat next to the CEO. My wife.

“This role has been overdue,” Alex said. He turned his head toward her. “I wanted someone who understands our systems from every angle. Someone who can’t be fooled.”

He paused, and the silence in the room felt heavy.

“This is Hannah Vance,” Alex said. “Our new Head of Operations.”

The room erupted in small murmurs of approval. My stomach dropped.

Head of Operations. That was a level above me. She wouldn't just be working here; she would be overseeing my projects.

“She’ll be in charge of all project alignment moving forward,” Alex added. “Senior management included.”

I felt the heat crawl up my neck. My hands balled into fists under the table. This was a joke. It had to be.

Hannah finally lifted her eyes. She looked at the room, her voice was steady and clear. “Thank you. I’m looking forward to making some much-needed changes.”

I couldn't take it. I didn't care who was watching.

“Sir,” I snapped at Alex, cutting him off. “Can I speak with you? Alone?”

The room went dead quiet. Alex didn't even look bothered. He finished typing something on his tablet before looking up.

“If it’s urgent, Daniel, say it here.”

“This is highly inappropriate,” I said, my voice shaking with rage. “There’s a massive conflict of interest here. You can't do this.”

“Is there?” Alex asked, his voice smooth.

“Yes!” I shouted. “She’s my wife!”

I expected shock. I expected the board members to gasp. Instead, Alex just nodded once. “I’m aware.”

Hannah spoke then. Her voice was like ice.

“If you have formal concerns, Daniel, you can submit them through the proper channel. My office will review them. For now, sit down.”

‘My office.’

I stared at her. This was the woman I’d spent three years telling what to eat. This was the woman who cried because I didn't like her cooking. Now she was telling me to sit down in front of the entire company?

The meeting went on. She went through charts and timelines, and every single one of them hit a weak spot in my department. She was reassigning my best people. She was rerouting my authority. She was dismantling me, piece by piece, in front of everyone.

When the meeting ended, people crowded around her. They were smiling. They were asking for her opinion.

No one looked at me. I was a ghost in my own office.

Alex stood up last. “Daniel. We’ll talk later. My office.”

I waited until everyone left. As Hannah started to walk past me, I reached out and grabbed her wrist. I gripped it hard, wanting to see that flash of fear return to her eyes.

She stopped. Slowly, she turned her head and looked at my hand on her wrist. She didn't flinch. She didn't beg. She looked at me with pure, cold disgust.

“Let go, Daniel,” she said. It was a whisper, but it carried more weight than his shout. “That’s workplace harassment. If you touch me again, security will walk you out in handcuffs.”

I let go like I’d been burned.

She didn't say another word. She just gathered her things and walked out, her heels clicking on the floor with a steady, confident rhythm.

I sat there in the empty room. For the first time in my life, I felt the walls closing in. This wasn't a fight. T

his was an execution.

And I was the one on the block.