I rose from the table. The hall fell silent — everyone expected me to be embarrassed, but I spoke calmly and firmly:
“You know, you’ve always said you achieved everything on your own. Maybe I should remind you of something?
The first deal with the foreign partners — it was me who closed it. I was the one spending sleepless nights translating and negotiating while you were asleep.”
The guests exchanged glances. My husband tried to smile, but I didn’t let him speak:
— “And the second major deal — that was me too.
You didn’t even know how to handle the conversation and asked me to ‘just sit there beside you.’ Then you presented it as if it was your victory.”
I heard someone at the table whisper in surprise: “That can’t be true…”
— “You always wanted me to stay in the shadows. So that no one would know how much effort I put into this business. But the truth is, without me, you wouldn’t even have half of your success.”
He nervously adjusted his tie, but I continued, louder:
— “And by the way, the money for the start — it wasn’t you who found the investor.
It was my father who gave you the capital. And not as a loan, like you like to tell people, but simply because he believed in me. Not in you.
In me.”
A murmur swept through the room. Some raised their eyebrows, others set down their glasses. My husband turned pale.
— “So, darling, you’re only right about one thing: sometimes investments don’t pay off. My family invested everything in you. But now everyone sees what kind of ‘independent’ man is really standing before them.”
