Chapter 3 In the top floor conference room at Turner Tech , Blake slammed a folder on the table . " That's the third system crash this week ! What the hell is the tech department even doing ? " CTO Dave Miller wiped sweat from his forehead . " Mr. Turner , we're seeing compatibility issues in the core database . Unknown cause . We're working around the clock to figure it out . " " Unknown cause ? " Blake's laugh was harsh . " We dump hundreds of millions into R & D ) every year , and all I get is ' unknown cause ? " Dave hesitated , then said quietly . " These systems ... Khloe used to handle all the maintenance personally . " Blake's face went stone cold . The room fell dead silent , everyone suddenly finding their shoes very interesting . " Get out , " Blake's voice could've frozen hell . After everyone left , Blake opened his laptop and pulled up the system logs . Red error messages covered the screen , every single module pointing to the same core component - the foundation code Khloe wrote ten years ago . His phone buzzed with a text from Avery : " Dress fitting at 3 , don't forget ! " After that with a heart meme . Blake yanked his tie loose and texted back : " Emergency at work . Rain check . " He put his phone down and tried calling Khloe , but got that cold automated message : " The number you have dialed is busy ... " Meanwhile , in a sleek glass building on the outskirts of the city , I stood in the center of a conference room , presenting my design to a wall of monitors . " This AI model will completely revolutionize human - computer interaction . " I clicked to the next slide . " It's built on core algorithms I developed ten years ago , but fully upgraded . " About twenty engineers sat listening - half of them former Turner Tech employees who'd jumped ship . When I announced I was launching " KS Technologies , " they didn't hesitate to follow me . " Ms. Sullivan , " Jason , one of Turner Tech's former lead developers , raised his hand . " Will this model directly compete with Turner's existing systems ? " I smiled . " Not compete . Replace . " After the meeting , my assistant rushed over . " Ms. Sullivan , the hospital called about your physical . Some test results came back abnormal - they need you to come in . " I frowned . " What kind of abnormal ? " She lowered her voice . " The pregnancy test ... came back positive . " My phone slipped out of my hands and crashed to the floor . Three days later , I sat in a VIP room at the private clinic , staring at a tiny dot on the ultrasound screen . " About six weeks along , " the doctor said gently . " Everything looks perfectly normal from what I can see . " Six weeks . I did the math - that night in Blake's office when he couldn't keep his hands off me . " Ms. Sullivan , are you planning to keep the baby ? " the doctor asked carefully . 23:15 Divorce Papers or Death Code ? My Choice , His Regret 22.2 % Chapter 3 I touched my still - flat stomach and smiled . " Absolutely . This is my child . Nobody else's . " Walking out of the hospital , the sunlight hurt my eyes . My phone showed fifteen missed calls - all from Blake . I marked them all as read and called Marcus instead . " I'm gonna be a mom . " I said straight up . Silence for a few seconds . " Blake's ? " " Biologically speaking , yeah . " My voice was weirdly steady . " But in reality , this is just my kid . " Marcus took a deep breath . " I'll get you the best OR team money can buy . And about the company- " " Business as usual , " I cut him off . " KS Tech's first product launches next month as planned . " After hanging up , I opened my laptop and pulled up Turner Tech's latest system architecture , Ten years of my life , every single line of code had pieces of my soul in it . Time to take it all back . I typed in the final command and hit enter . A message popped up : " Core module extraction initiated . Estimated completion : 72 hours . " Three days from now - Blake and Avery's wedding day . On their big day , I stood in KS Tech's server room wearing a loose sundress , watching the progress bar crawl across the monitor . Tech guys bustled around behind me , totally clueless that their young CEO was pregnant . " Ms. Sullivan , extraction's at 98 % , " Jason reported . " Turner's systems are already showing lag . " I nodded . " Keep monitoring . " My phone buzzed with a news alert : " BREAKING : Turner Tech Core Systems Down , Multiple Financial Institutions Affected . " Then a text from Marcus : " You did it ? " I texted back : " Just taking what's mine . " At 6 PM - right when Blake should've been walking Avery down the aisle - my program finished its final step . The big screen flashed green : " All custom modules safely removed . Original system restoration complete . " Which meant Blake's company was left with a empty shell system . Every single upgrade I'd ever built ? Gone . " Ms. Sullivan ! " My assistant burst in , panicked . " Blake Turner's downstairs demanding to see you ! " I calmly closed my laptop . " Send him up . " Five minutes later , Blake stormed into the server room still in his wedding suit , boutonniere and all . His eyes were bloodshot , hair a mess - definitely not the polished businessman everyone knew . " Khloe ! " His voice was wrecked . " Was this you ? " I motioned for everyone to leave , then turned to face him . " Congrats on the wedding , Blake . " He grabbed my wrist . " The entire system's crashed . We can't access any client data . Do you know what this means ? " Divorce Daners or Death Code ? My Choice . His Regret 25.9 % Chapter 3 I gently pulled free . " Sounds like you need better tech support . " " Cut the crap ! " Blake exploded . " IT says all the advanced modules were wiped . Only you had that kind of accuse I walked to the window , sunset turning the sky blond red , " Those modules were mine to begin with , I can do whatever I want with them Blake went dead still . " You ... you took your code back ? " " Not just the code . " I turned around . " All the patents and algorithms based on it too . Congrats Blake , you've got yourself a very expensive empty shell . " His face went ghost - white . " You can't do this ! That's company property ! " " Sue me then . " I smiled and pulled out my phone , showing him a document . " Remember that NDA you made me sign ? Section thirteen clearly states that any code I personally developed belongs to the original developer . " Blake stumbled backward like he was seeing me for the first time . " Who the hell are you ? " " Let me reintroduce myself . " I held out my hand mockingly . " Khloe Sullivan . Sullivan Corp heiress . CEO of KS Technologies . " But his eyes kept dropping to my stomach , pupils shrinking . " You're ... pregnant ? " I instinctively covered my belly . " None of your business . " Blake's expression got complicated . " Is it mine ? " " Like I said , none of your business . " I hit the intercom . " Security , please escort Mr. Turner out . " As security dragged him away , he yelled back , " Khloe ! You can't do this to me ! We had ten years together ! " I stood there until his voice faded completely , then whispered , " Because of those ten years , I only took my code instead of destroying everything you have . " Outside , darkness was falling . My phone lit up with a message from the clinic : " Ms. Sullivan , your prenatal appointment is confirmed for next Wednesday at 10 AM . " I touched my still - flat stomach and made the easiest decision I'd made in ten years - blocking Blake Turner from everything .