Chapter 29 The fight that changed everything started over something trivial - a missed dinner reservation - and escalated into five years of buried resentment exploding across our shared apartment . This is the fourth fame this month , Felix I said , throwing my purse down on the kitchen counter with enough force to rattle the dishes . " Four times you've promised to be home for dinner , and four times I've sat alone at restaurants while you handle ' urgent business . " Felix loosened his the , exhaustion written across his features . " The Singapore deal is falling apart . I had to take the call . " You always have to take the call . You always have something more important than spending time with the woman you supposedly love . " " Supposedly ? Felix's voice rose sharply . " Drielle , everything I do is for us . Every contract , every deal , every sacrifice- " " Every sacrifice ? I laughed bitterly . " What exactly have you sacrificed , Felix ? Because from where I'm standing , you got everything you wanted . The company , the success , the respect of your father . What did you give up ? " " I gave up the luxury of parsing research for its own sake . I gave up the comfortable illusion that good intentions matter more than results . " Felix's eyes flashed with anger . " I grew up , Drielle . Maybe it's time you did the same . " The words hat like a slap . " Grew up ? Is that what you call abandoning every principle you once claimed to have ? " " I call it taking responsibility . I call it building something that matters instead of hiding in academic ivory towers . " " So our research didn't matter ? The five years we spent building this company together didn't matter ? I don't matter ? " Felix ran his hands through his hair , a gesture that used to be endearing and now just looked frustrated . " Of course you matter . You're my- " Your what , Felix ? " I stepped closer , my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper . " Your partner ? Your equal ? Or am I just another employee who happens to share your bed ? " " That's not fair- Tn't it ? When was the last time you asked my opinion on a major decision ? When was the last time you treated me like your partner instead of your Felix was quiet for a long moment , and his silence told me everything I needed to know . " You know what the problem is ? " I continued , my voice breaking slightly . " You've become exactly what you once criticized . You've become your father - a man who sees everything , including the people he supposedly loves , as assets to be managed . " " Don't . " Felix's voice was low and warning . " Don't bring my father into this . " " Why not ? It's the truth . You're so busy building his empire that you've forgotten who you used to be . Who we used to be . " " We used to be naive ! Felix exploded . " We used to think that good intentions and brilliant research were enough to change the world . Well , guess what , Drielle ? The world doesn't care about our intentions . It cares about results , about power , about who controls the resources to actually make change happen . " " And you think that's you ? " " I know it's me . Reed Aerospace is worth twelve billion dollars , Drielle . Twelve billion . We employ thousands of people , we're revolutionizing satellite technology , we're making space exploration commercially viable for the first time in history . That's not nothing . " " And what did it cost you ? " I asked quietly . " What did it cost us ? " Felix stared at me across the kitchen , and for a moment I saw something vulnerable in his expression . Something that looked almost like regret . " It cost me you , " he said finally . " Didn't it ? " The admission hung between us like a death sentence . All the fight drained out of me , leaving behind only exhaustion and heartbreak . " I don't know , " I whispered . " I honestly don't know anymore . " 25.7 % Chapter 29 We stood in silence for what felt like hours , the weight of five years of choices settling around us like dust , Finally , Feliz stepped closer , his hand reaching tentatively for my face . " Drielle , I never meant for it to happen like this , I never meant to lose you in the process of building everything else . " His touch was warm and familiar , and despite everything , I found myself leaning into it . " Then don't , " I said . " Don't lose me , " Felix's lips found mine , desperate and searching , and I kissed him back with five years of longing and frustration and love that refused to die despite everything we'd done to kill it . We made love that night with the frantic passion of people trying to find their way back to each other , trying to bridge the distance that success and ambition had carved between us . For a few hours , wrapped in Felix's arms , I almost believed we could fix what had been broken When I woke up the next morning , Felix was already gone . A note on his pillow explained he'd had to catch an early flight to Los Angeles for emergency meetings . Eight weeks later , I was staring at a positive pregnancy test in the bathroom of Reed Aerospace , listening to Felix's voice drift from his office as he discussed quarterly projections with someone I couldn't see . The irony wasn't lost on me . After five years of losing myself in Felix's empire , I was finally going to matter again . Even if it was only because I was carrying his child .