My Husband Had Security Drag Me Out Of His Board Meeting For “Playing Entrepreneur.” Now He Works For A Company That Uses My Software Every Single Day. Was I Too Harsh?

I looked at my own car, then back at her. What did I have to lose at this point?

My dignity was already gone. My marriage was probably over.

I grabbed my laptop bag and got out, following her to the Tesla. Inside, the car was immaculate: leather seats, that new car smell, and classical music playing softly.

Miss Rothstein handed me a bottle of water from the center console.

“Drink,” She said. “Then tell me about this app of yours.”

“You want to hear about it?” I asked, my voice cracking.

“I don’t waste my time on empty gestures,” She said. “You clearly have something worth saying, or you wouldn’t have had the courage to stand up in that room. Your husband is a fool for not listening. I’m not a fool. So, pitch me.”

A Pitch in the Parking Garage

For the next twenty minutes, sitting in that parking garage, I pitched my app to Diana Rothstein.

I showed her my wireframes, my user research, and my prototype. I explained how Vision Tech’s platform was powerful but overwhelming for new users.

I explained how my app would serve as a simplified interface, a gentle on-ramp that would improve retention and expand the user base.

Diana asked sharp questions. She poked holes in my assumptions and challenged my pricing model.

And then, when I’d answered everything she threw at me, she sat back and smiled.

“Rebecca, this is good. Better than good. This is exactly what Vision needs, though your idiot husband is too blind to see it.” Diana said.

She paused.

“Do you know who I am?” Diana asked.

“An investor considering Vision Tech?” I replied.

“I’m Diana Rothstein. I run Athena Ventures. We have a $4 billion portfolio focused on female-founded tech companies.” She said.

“I’ve been in this industry for 35 years, and I’ve made more successful bets than your husband has had hot meals,” Diana added.

My mouth went dry.

“I’ve heard of you. You invested in Datasphere and Cloud Nest, among others,” I said.

“And I was considering investing in Vision Tech, right up until about an hour ago,” Diana said, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel.

“Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to take that app idea and turn it into your own company. I’m going to fund it.” She said.

“We’re going to build it as a standalone product that integrates with Vision Tech’s platform, yes, but also with their competitors,” She continued. “We’re going to be so good that every enterprise AI company will want to partner with us.”

I couldn’t breathe.

“You want to invest in me?” I asked.

“I want to invest in your idea. And I want to see the look on David Chen’s face when he realizes the wife he dismissed just became his biggest competitor.” Diana said.

Diana’s smile was sharp and interested.

“Yes,” I whispered. Then louder. “Yes! Absolutely yes!”

“Good. We’ll need to move quickly. I want you to meet my team tomorrow morning, 9 a.m. sharp at my office.” Diana said.

“Bring everything you have. Every document. Every bit of research. We’re going to turn this into a real company with real funding and a real business plan. Can you do that?” She asked.

“I can do that,” I said.

“One more thing,” Diana’s expression turned serious. “This is going to get ugly. Your husband will fight back. He’ll try to claim ownership of your idea and say you developed it using his resources. Do you have proof that you funded the prototype yourself?”

I nodded.

“Bank statements. Contracts with the developer. I kept everything separate.” I said.

“Smart woman. You’re going to need a lawyer too—a good one. I’ll have my legal team reach out to you tonight.” Diana said.

She pulled out a business card and handed it to me.

“That’s my personal number. If David tries anything, you call me immediately. Understood?” She asked.

“Understood,” I replied.

“Now go home. Take the rest of the day to process what happened. Tomorrow we start building your empire.” Diana said.

Choosing the Empire

I got out of the car feeling like I was in a dream. Diana drove away, and I stood there in the parking garage holding her business card, my hands finally steady.

When I got home, David’s car was already in the driveway. I braced myself for the fight, for the screaming, and for whatever punishment he decided I deserved for embarrassing him.

But when I walked in, he was calm—too calm. He was sitting in the living room with a glass of scotch, and he looked at me with something like pity.

“Rebecca,” He said. “Sit down. We need to talk.”

I stayed standing.

“I’m listening,” I said.

“What you did today was unacceptable and disrespectful. You cost me a $15 million investment.” David said.

“You cost yourself that investment,” I said quietly. “Diana Rothstein was ready to invest until you showed her what kind of man you are.”

His jaw tightened.

“Diana Rothstein is a feminist ideologue who looks for reasons to tear down successful men. Don’t flatter yourself into thinking you impressed her.” David said.

“She asked to see my app,” I told him.

“No she didn’t,” David laughed, but it was cold. “Rebecca, she was being polite. She felt sorry for you, that’s all.”

I could have told him about the meeting tomorrow, about the funding offer, and about everything Diana had promised. But something made me hold back.

“Maybe you’re right,” I said.

He looked surprised, then satisfied.

“I’m glad you see reason. Look, I was harsh today, I’ll admit that. But you pushed me into a corner. If you’d just respected my authority in my own company—”

“I’d like a divorce,” I interrupted.

The words came out of my mouth before I’d fully formed the thought. But as soon as I said them, I knew they were right. They were true.

David stared at me.

“What did you say?” David asked.

“I want a divorce. I’ll move out this week. You can keep the house, the cars, whatever. I don’t want anything from you.” I said.

“Rebecca, you’re being dramatic. We’re not getting divorced over one bad day,” David said.

“It’s not one bad day, David. It’s five years of you treating me like I’m stupid, like I’m just decoration. I deserve better than that.” I said.

“Better?” He stood up, and now the anger was back. “Better, Rebecca? Without me, you’re nothing. You gave up your career for me. You have no income, no prospects, and no recent work experience. You think you’re going to just start over?”

“Yes,” I said simply. “That’s exactly what I think.”

He laughed again, that same cruel sound.

“Fine. Leave. See how long you last. But don’t come crawling back when reality hits.” David said.

I went upstairs and started packing. David didn’t follow me.

I heard him pour another drink. I heard him on the phone with someone, his voice too low for me to make out words.

I took only what was mine: my clothes, my laptop, and my personal items. I left everything he’d bought me.

I stayed at a Holiday Inn that night. It was clean but impersonal, and I lay awake on the stiff mattress wondering if I just made the biggest mistake of my life.

Tomorrow I’d meet with Diana Rothstein and her team. But what if it fell through? What if David was right and this was all just pity?

But then I remembered the look in Diana’s eyes, the way she’d asked questions about my app, and the sharpness of her business mind. That wasn’t pity. That was recognition.

Building Compass Technologies

The next morning, I put on my best suit again and drove to Diana’s office in the Frostbank Tower. The Athena Ventures suite took up the entire 24th floor.

The receptionist was expecting me.

“Miss Chen, Miss Rothstein is waiting for you in the main conference room. Can I get you coffee or water?” The receptionist asked.

“Coffee would be great. Thank you,” I said.

The conference room had floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking downtown Austin. Diana was there with three other people: two women and one man, all of them looking professional and intimidating.

“Rebecca,” Diana greeted me warmly. “Thanks for coming. These are my partners: Laura handles operations, Marcus is our financial analyst, and Jennifer leads legal. We’ve all reviewed your materials, and we want to move forward.”

For the next three hours, we went through everything. They asked about my technical specifications, my target market, and my competitive analysis.

Jennifer asked about my divorce, specifically whether David could claim any ownership. Marcus ran financial projections. Laura talked about team building and timelines.

By noon, we had the outline of a deal. Athena Ventures would invest $2 million for a 30% stake.

I’d remain majority owner and CEO. We’d hire a CTO and a lead developer within two weeks. Launch target: six months.

“There’s one more thing,” Diana said as the others were packing up. “I want to be transparent about something. I wasn’t entirely honest yesterday.”

My stomach dropped.