Rock Bottom

Elena stared at the ATM screen, her stomach sinking. Account blocked. Please contact your bank.

She tried her credit card at the hotel desk. Declined.

Her second credit card. Declined.

The desk clerk looked at her with growing suspicion. Elena stood there in yesterday's evening gown, holding a suitcase, unable to pay for a single night in the cheapest hotel she could find.

"Ma'am, do you have another form of payment?" the clerk asked.

Elena checked her wallet. Forty-three dollars in cash. That was it. Everything else; their joint accounts, the credit cards, even her phone plan was controlled by Mark. She'd been so focused on being a good wife that she'd never thought about what would happen if she needed to survive on her own.

"Never mind," Elena said quietly, picking up her suitcase.

She spent the night in her car in a 24-hour diner parking lot, trying to figure out what to do next. When morning came, she drove to the bank to find out what had happened to her accounts.

The bank manager, Mr. Peterson, had known Elena for years. His face was uncomfortable as he explained the situation.

"Mrs. Sterling, your husband filed papers claiming you were having a mental health crisis. He showed documentation from a doctor stating you might make impulsive financial decisions. He was granted temporary control of all joint assets for your own protection."

Elena felt like she'd been punched. "Dr. Walter isn't even a real psychiatrist. He's Mark's golf buddy."

"Ma'am, I can't comment on the validity of the medical documentation. I can only tell you that legally, your access to joint accounts has been suspended pending a court review."

"What about my personal account? The one I had before we got married?"

Mr. Peterson looked even more uncomfortable. "That account was closed three years ago and merged with your joint account. At your husband's request. You signed the paperwork."

Elena remembered now. Mark had convinced her it would be simpler to have everything together. One less account to manage. She'd trusted him completely.

She'd been such a fool.

Elena left the bank with her forty-three dollars and no idea what to do next. She drove to her sister Judy's house, but Judy was at work. Elena sat in the driveway, trying not to cry.

Her phone rang. Mark.

"Elena, where are you? This is ridiculous. Come home and we'll figure this out like adults."

"You blocked my credit cards," Elena said.

"I protected our assets from impulsive decisions. You left in the middle of the night without thinking things through. That's exactly the kind of behavior Dr. Walter was worried about."

Elena almost laughed. "You mean it's exactly the kind of behavior you told him to worry about."

"Come home, Elena. The kids are asking for you. Sophia cried when she found your letter."

Elena's heart broke a little. "Let me talk to her."

"Not until you come home and we can discuss your... situation... rationally."

"My situation? You mean the situation where you stole my life's work and tried to have me committed?"

"I mean the situation where my wife is having a breakdown and needs help. Everyone's worried about you, Elena. Catherine Morrison called this morning asking if you were okay after your outburst last night."

Elena closed her eyes. Of course Mark had already started spinning the story. Poor Mark Sterling, dealing with his unstable wife who was making wild accusations about their business.

"I'm not coming home, Mark."

"Then you're choosing to abandon your children. I hope you can live with that choice."

He hung up.

Elena sat in her car, staring at her phone. Mark was right about one thing, she hadn't thought this through. She'd been so focused on getting away from him that she hadn't planned what came next. Now she had no money, no home, no job, and no way to fight for her kids.

But going back wasn't an option. Not after seeing who Mark really was.

Elena spent the day filling out job applications. She tried the marketing firms where she'd worked before marriage, but word had already spread. "We're not hiring right now," they all said, but Elena could see the pity in their eyes. Everyone knew about Mark Sterling's wife having a breakdown.

She tried retail stores, coffee shops, anywhere that might hire her quickly. But she had no recent work experience, no references who weren't connected to Mark somehow, and she looked desperate.

By evening, Elena had been rejected from fifteen jobs. She bought a cheap burger with her remaining cash and sat in her car, trying to figure out her next move.

That's when she saw the ad in the local paper someone had left on the diner counter. "Cleaning service needs night staff. No experience necessary. Immediate start available."

Elena stared at the ad. A week ago, she'd been the wife of a billionaire. Now she was considering taking a job cleaning offices for minimum wage.

The old Elena would have been horrified. But the old Elena would still be at home, pretending everything was fine while her husband destroyed her.

Elena called the number.

"Spotless Solutions, this is Rita."

"Hi, I'm calling about the cleaning position."

"You available to start tonight? We just lost someone and need coverage at one of our big accounts."

Elena looked around the parking lot where she'd be spending another night in her car if she didn't find work soon. "Yes. I can start tonight."

"Great. Meet me at Knight Industries downtown at 8 PM. Bring ID and wear something you don't mind getting dirty."

Knight Industries. Elena had heard of them, some kind of investment firm. She'd probably be cleaning the offices of people who wouldn't look twice at her.

Perfect. She didn't want to be seen anyway.

Elena spent her last few dollars on cleaning supplies and cheap work clothes from a discount store. At 8 PM, she stood outside the gleaming Knight Industries building, looking up at the floors and floors of lights.

Rita turned out to be a tough woman in her fifties who ran the cleaning crew like a military operation.

"You ever done this before?" Rita asked, looking Elena up and down.

"No, but I'm a fast learner."

"Right. You get the executive floor. Top three floors. Offices, conference rooms, bathrooms. Empty all trash, vacuum, dust, clean windows. Don't touch anything on the desks except to dust around it. These business types get crazy if you move their papers."

Rita handed Elena a cart full of supplies and a set of keys. "Building's mostly empty at night, but some of these workaholics stay late. If you see someone, be invisible. They don't want to chat with the cleaning lady."

Be invisible. Elena almost laughed. She'd had twelve years of practice.

Elena took the elevator to the top floor. The offices were beautiful, all glass and modern furniture and expensive art. The kind of place where million-dollar deals got made every day.

She started with the smaller offices, learning the routine. Empty trash, wipe down surfaces, vacuum, move on. It was simple, mindless work. For the first time in days, Elena's mind was quiet.

Around 10 PM, she reached the corner office. The nameplate on the door read "Arthur Knight, CEO." Elena knocked softly, then used her key to let herself in.

The office was stunning. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. A massive desk covered in financial reports. Bookshelves lined with business journals and what looked like classic literature. Whoever Arthur Knight was, he worked late - there was still a warm coffee cup on his desk.

Elena got to work, being careful not to disturb the neat piles of papers. As she dusted around them, she couldn't help noticing the financial projections spread across the desk. Her old habits kicked in, and she found herself reading the numbers.

Someone was doing an analysis of tech company valuations. Elena recognized several of the companies - including Sterling Tech. Mark's company was being evaluated for something. Investment? Acquisition? The numbers were impressive, but Elena could see inefficiencies in the analysis that could be improved.

She caught herself leaning over the desk and stepped back quickly. She was here to clean, not to analyze business deals. That part of her life was over.

But as Elena finished cleaning the office, she felt something she hadn't felt in years. She felt useful. Not because she was making someone else's life easier, but because her mind was working again, seeing patterns and solutions.

Elena finished the executive floor at midnight and returned the cart to Rita.

"How'd it go?" Rita asked.

"Fine. It was fine."

"Good. Same time tomorrow if you want the work."

Elena nodded. Tomorrow, and probably for many tomorrows after that. This was her life now, cleaning offices while the people who made the real decisions slept in their expensive homes.

But as Elena drove to the parking lot where she'd spend another night in her car, she wasn't thinking about how far she'd fallen.

She was thinking about those financial reports on Arthur Knight's desk, and the improvements she could suggest if she was still the kind of person whose opinion mattered.

Maybe someday she would be again.

But for now, being invisible wasn't the worst thing in the world.

At least when you're invisible, people can't see you planning their downfall.