Chapter 1: The Family Betrayal

As soon as my business trip flight landed at O'Hare, my brother-in-law, Derek, called me. The jarring buzz of my phone felt louder than ever as I stood under the blinding terminal lights, suitcase wheels clicking against the linoleum. I could practically hear him rolling his eyes before he even spoke. My stomach dropped. Even two thousand miles from home, Derek’s voice could ruin my day.

His tone was impatient on the phone. It had that old Chicago edge, like he was about to bark at a rookie cop. He never wasted time on pleasantries.

"You’re coming to this dinner tonight. And you’re drinking for me—don’t embarrass me."

He didn’t even say hello—just barked the order out like I was his unpaid intern.

"If you do a good job, I'll introduce you to some big shots, so you don't have to look so pathetic all the time."

He always managed to slip in an insult with every so-called opportunity. I could picture him sneering into the phone, feet up on his desk, probably chewing gum with his mouth open.

"If it weren't for my sister sticking up for you, I wouldn't even bother calling."

So, it turned out I owed this to my wife, Natalie. In Derek’s world, every favor was a debt you never stopped paying.

"I'm jet-lagged. I really don't want to go."

The words slipped out of me as I swiped my thumb to type, exhausted and still stuck in airport mode. In my haze, I accidentally sent this message to the family group chat instead of just to Natalie. My fingers went numb. I stared at the screen, watching the little dots as replies started pouring in—too fast to even read.

"Look at you, no ambition at all. Do you even make any money on those business trips?"

Someone—probably Aunt Maureen—fired the first shot, followed by a chorus of judgment. I could almost see them around the kitchen table, shaking their heads, scrolling and gossiping.

"Maybe if you hustled a little, you wouldn’t be so tired all the time."

"This is a big opportunity—when you're given a shot, you're still useless."

"We all make sacrifices for family, Mark. Some more than others."

Each line felt like a sharp jab in the ribs, making my chest tighten just a little bit more.

"Even Natalie is going, but as her husband you won't lift a finger."

Natalie was understanding: "If Mark doesn't want to go, then forget it. I can go myself."

Her text was gentle, but I could sense the tension behind it. She was always the peacekeeper, even when it cost her. Her words read like she was trying to smooth everything over, as usual.

Derek posted a group photo, showing off.

"Don't say I didn't warn you. It'd only take a minute to swap you out for a new brother-in-law."

Looking at the man holding Natalie so intimately in the photo, I found him extremely familiar. His arm was slung around her shoulder like he owned the place, and Natalie was leaning in close, laughing—maybe a little too close. Something in my gut twisted, cold and sour. My vision blurred for a second. I wanted to smash the phone, or maybe just disappear.

Wasn't this one of the managers from the company I just acquired?

My mind raced, piecing together faces and names from that exhausting week of negotiations. There he was—Caleb Lewis, the same smug look as he had in the conference room. It hit me like a punch to the chest.

Were the two of them already being so blatant, not even bothering to hide it?

The realization stung more than I wanted to admit. My knuckles tightened around the handle of my suitcase as I scrolled back to the photo, just to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.

I immediately sent a message in the group chat.

"Don't worry, I'll definitely be there on time."

My hands were shaking as I typed, and I forced a steadying breath. If it was a showdown they wanted, fine. I wasn’t backing down—not tonight.