My Husband Left Me And Our Newborn In The Rain Because He Didn’t Want To Dirty His Car Seats. He Threw $20 At Me And Told Me To Take The Bus. He Doesn’t Realize I Actually Own His Company. What Should I Do?

“This is an investment, Liv. You can judge a man’s success by his watch,”

He used to say.

It turned out he had been lying to me and everyone else. The watch he bought with the monthly allowance I gave him—the one he claimed was worth as much as a car—was just a fake.

The rest of the money must have gone to his lavish spending or perhaps to another woman. On the bus, now moving again, I held my son tighter.

“See, my love? Your father is reaping what he sowed.”

His shame wasn’t from having no money, but from having his mask of wealth ripped off in public. The image of Ethan begging, of Sharon hiding her face with her handbag, and of Jessica pretending not to know her own brother danced in my head.

The rain outside intensified, as if nature itself was washing away the family’s facade of lies. But this was only the beginning.

Deactivated credit cards were just a small pinch. The real storm awaited them on their drive home.

I leaned my head against the vibrating bus window. The postpartum pain in my abdomen was still excruciating, but the pain in my heart was slowly starting to heal—not with medicine, but by watching justice begin to unfold.

Justice served by my own hand. I closed my eyes for a moment, imagining their journey home, which was about to become a living hell.

The atmosphere inside the Cadillac Escalade would be anything but comfortable, despite its plush leather seats and perfect climate control. Through the vehicle tracking app connected to the Davenport family security system—a feature my father secretly had installed in every vehicle he purchased, including the one Ethan used—I could listen to a real-time audio feed of the car’s interior.

It was a security feature meant for kidnapping scenarios, but tonight it was my personal tool for listening to my husband’s world crumble. The sound of heavy rain and distant thunder was muffled by the luxury car’s soundproofing, but the noise inside was far louder and more terrifying.

“How could you, Ethan?”

Sharon’s voice was a high-pitched shriek, shattering the tense silence.

“I have never been so embarrassed in my entire life! Do you know who was at the next table? Marge Harrison from the charity board! What if she spreads rumors at the next gala? ‘Oh, did you hear? Sharon’s son eats like a king but can’t pay his bills!'”

“Yeah, Ethan, that was awful,”

Jessica whined.

“I had to delete my whole Instagram story. The engagement was amazing too! Now my image is ruined because your credit cards are fake or something, and you got caught with a knockoff watch… ugh, so cringe!”

“Both of you, shut up!”

Ethan’s roar filled the car, making the speaker on my phone crackle.

There was a loud thud as he slammed his fist against the steering wheel. His breathing was heavy and ragged.

“You think I’m not freaking out, huh?”

He screamed in frustration.

“I don’t understand why all my cards were blocked at once! They worked this morning when I got gas. This has to be sabotage. Someone is jealous of our success.”

Suddenly, Ethan’s phone rang. It wasn’t a normal ringtone but a specific one he used for high-priority business calls.

“Mr. Coleman? Hello?”

Ethan’s voice instantly became smooth and sycophantic.

“Good evening, sir. What a surprise to hear from you this late. Any good news about the Series B funding?”

I listened intently. Mr. Coleman was one of the lead investors in Ethan’s startup.

Of course, Mr. Coleman was also my father’s business associate, who had invested on my father’s orders, not because Ethan was some business prodigy. Mr. Coleman’s voice was faint, but his tone was cold and decisive.

“Evening, Ethan. I’m calling to inform you that we are withdrawing our entire investment commitment, effective immediately. The official notice is already in your email.”

“What?”

Ethan’s voice cracked.

“But… but why, sir? The project is underway. We need that funding for next month’s payroll! If you pull out, we’ll collapse!”

“That is no longer my concern. A recent internal audit revealed your company carries an unacceptably high level of risk. Furthermore, the recommendation from your primary guarantor, Mr. Epsie Davenport, has been rescinded. Good night.”

The line went dead.

“Hello? Hello, Mr. Coleman?”

Ethan yelled into his silent phone.

“What was that, Ethan? Why did the investor pull out?”

Sharon asked frantically.

“What about the money for my mortgage payment?”

Before Ethan could answer, his phone rang again. This time it was from his office number.

“What now?”

He barked into the phone.

“Mr. Williams, it’s a disaster!”

His secretary’s hysterical voice was so loud I could hear it clearly.

“The office is being raided by the IRS and the leasing agency! They’re seizing the computers and servers. They say there’s evidence of tax evasion and six months of unpaid rent on the building! Where are you? They’re asking for you! They brought the police, sir!”

I heard the screech of tires on wet asphalt as Ethan slammed on the brakes. Jessica and Sharon screamed as they were thrown forward.

“Ethan, are you trying to kill us?”

Sharon shrieked.

But Ethan didn’t care. His breathing sounded like he was being strangled.

“What did you say? The IRS? The lease? Stay right there. Don’t let them take anything! Tell them I’m the CEO, I’ll take responsibility!”

“They said you’re not the CEO anymore, sir,”

His secretary sobbed.

“You were removed by the majority shareholder 10 minutes ago. Your email access has been revoked. You have no authority here anymore.”

The phone clattered as it fell from Ethan’s hand. I could hear it hit the center console.

Silence. There was only the sound of the relentless rain against the windshield and Ethan’s choked, gasping breaths, as if the oxygen inside the spacious Escalade had suddenly run out.

“This can’t be happening,”

Ethan muttered, his voice trembling violently.

“This is a nightmare. It’s impossible for everything to fall apart in one night.”

“Ethan, say something! What is going on?”

Sharon shook her son’s shoulder.

“What does she mean you’re not the CEO anymore? What’s going to happen to us? You haven’t even sent me my monthly allowance yet!”

“Mom, can you just be quiet!”

Ethan exploded again, his voice with unshed tears.

“We’re bankrupt, Mom! Bankrupt! The investors are gone, the office is seized, I’m fired… everything is gone! We have nothing!”

“Bankrupt?”

Jessica shrieked.

“What about my trip to Aspen next week? I already promised my friends! Are you kidding me, Ethan? I can’t cancel; that would be so humiliating!”

“You’re worried about a vacation?”

Ethan laughed, a hysterical sound of someone who had lost their mind.

“We don’t even know what we’re going to eat tomorrow, Jess! The credit cards are dead, the bank accounts are probably frozen… this car… this car is leased in the company’s name. They’ll be coming to take it back any minute now!”

I closed my eyes, savoring this symphony of destruction. How fragile their lives were.

They had built their castle on sand, relying on money and power that wasn’t theirs, all while trampling on the very person who provided it all. Suddenly, Ethan mumbled to himself like someone waking from a trance.

“Wait. Mr. Coleman said the primary guarantor’s recommendation was rescinded. The guarantor was Mr. Davenport.”

A beat of silence. Ethan’s brain, dulled by years of arrogance, was finally starting to connect the dots.

“Davenport,”

He whispered.

“Davenport Holdings. Olivia. Actually… wait…”

“What are you talking about, Ethan?”

Sharon asked, confused.

“What does that poor orphan Olivia have to do with the billionaire Davenport? It’s just a coincidence. It’s a common name.”

“It can’t be a coincidence, Mom,”

Ethan’s voice rose again, this time filled with sheer terror.

“All this time I’ve been landing easy projects. Permits were always approved, funding always came through… I thought it was because I was brilliant. But every time there was a problem, Olivia would just say, ‘I’ll pray for you.’ And the next day, the problem would be solved. Her full name… it’s Olivia Davenport on her ID, but I never cared because the name seemed so plain.”

“You mean…”

Jessica’s voice trembled.

“Our Olivia is part of the Davenport family? The ones who own half the skyscrapers in this city? The ones who own the mall we were just at? She must have told her father!”

Ethan slammed his fist on the steering wheel again, this time with a soft, defeated thud of regret and fear.

“Today I threw $20 at her. I told her to take the bus in the pouring rain right after she gave birth to a Davenport heir.”

“We’re dead,”

Sharon hissed.

Her arrogant tone was gone, replaced by the terrified whisper of an old woman.