CHAPTER 9: THE APOLOGY
1040 Words
Thursday. 12:00 AM. Internet.
The press release went live.
`BLACKWOOD CORP PRESS RELEASE
FORMER CEO ETHAN BLACKWOOD TAKES FULL RESPONSIBILITY
FOR 2025 BOARD MISCONDUCT`
By 12:05 AM, it had 10,000 shares.
By 12:30 AM, it was trending #1 on Twitter.
`Ethan Blackwood: "I lied. I cheated. I failed my company, my family,
and my son. I am donating 5 million to settle claims and signing
away all shares. I do not deserve forgiveness. I only ask for a chance
to be a father."`
The internet exploded.
---
12:01 AM. Twitter.
@BizGossip: BREAKING: Ethan Blackwood admits everything. Pays 5M.
Gives up company. Is this the most expensive apology in history?
@FeministCEO: Sophia Miller won. Period.
He cheated, she took his company AND his money. Queen behavior 👑
@BlackwoodEmployee: We just got an email. He’s apologizing to staff too.
I’m crying.
@VictoriaHayesPR: My client appreciates Mr. Blackwood taking responsibility.
Lawsuit will be dropped.
@Anonymous: He only did it for custody. Don’t fall for it.
---
1:00 AM. Ethan’s Apartment.
Ethan sat on the floor. No furniture. Just a laptop and a phone.
His phone wouldn’t stop buzzing. 200+ missed calls.
Board members. Friends. His father.
He ignored them all.
He refreshed the page. Comments.
`Trash`
`Do it for your son`
`Too late`
`Respect`
Ethan put his head in his hands.
His lawyer texted: `It’s done. Money in escrow.
Victoria dropped the suit. Stock is up 4%`
Ethan didn’t feel better.
He opened his photos. Picture of Leo from the visit.
Sleeping on Sophia’s shoulder.
He whispered to the empty room: "I did it for you, buddy."
---
8:00 AM. Blackwood Tower.
Sophia walked in. The lobby was quiet.
Everyone was looking at their phones.
"Morning Ms. Miller," the receptionist said. "Big day."
Sophia nodded. Went straight to her office.
Arthur was already there. Watching the news.
CNN: `In a shocking move, former tech CEO Ethan Blackwood has
publicly confessed to misconduct and stepped away from all
corporate claims. Sources say the move was to protect
Blackwood Corp’s new CEO, Sophia Miller, and to secure
visitation rights for his 9-month-old son.`
Arthur muted it. "Well. You’re a widow now."
Sophia didn’t laugh. "How’s the stock?"
"Up," Arthur said. "Clients are calling to congratulate us.
'Transparency'. 'Accountability'. All that PR nonsense."
Sophia sat down. "And Victoria?"
"Dropped," Arthur said. "Her lawyer sent papers this morning."
Sophia exhaled. For the first time in months, her shoulders dropped.
Her assistant buzzed. "Ms. Miller, interview requests. 40 of them.
Forbes, Bloomberg, TechCrunch. They want to talk about 'leading through crisis'."
"Decline all," Sophia said. "Except Forbes Women. Next month."
"Yes ma’am."
---
10:00 AM. Blackwood Family Center.
Same room. Same toys. Same supervisor.
Ethan was already there when Sophia arrived with Leo.
He stood up when he saw them. In a plain gray shirt. Jeans.
No watch. No ring.
"Morning," he said.
"Morning," Sophia said.
Ms. Carter smiled. "Two hours. Same rules."
Ethan sat on the floor immediately. Like last time.
Leo crawled to him. Faster this time.
Ethan’s face lit up. "Hey buddy. Hey Leo."
He pulled out the book from last time. "Goodnight, Moon."
Leo grabbed it.
Sophia sat on the couch. Watching.
For 20 minutes, no one talked. Ethan just played.
Stacked blocks. Made faces. Leo laughed.
Finally, Ethan looked up. "Did you see it?"
"The press release?" Sophia asked.
"Yes."
"I did."
Ethan nodded. "Do you... believe it?"
Sophia was quiet. "I believe you signed the papers.
I believe you paid the money. I believe you said the words."
"That’s not what I asked," Ethan said.
"What did you ask?" Sophia said.
"If you believe I’m sorry."
Sophia looked at Leo. Then at Ethan.
"I believe you’re sorry you got caught," she said. "I believe you’re sorry
it cost you the company. I believe you’re sorry because you want something."
Ethan flinched. "And what if I’m sorry because I hurt you?"
"Then prove it," Sophia said. "For 3 months. Every Thursday.
No missed visits. No lawyers. No games."
Ethan nodded. "Okay."
---
11:30 AM.
Leo fell asleep on Ethan’s chest.
Ethan didn’t move. Just sat there, holding him.
Sophia watched. Her chest hurt.
"You’re good with him," she said before she could stop herself.
Ethan looked up. "I practice. At night. With a doll.
My therapist suggested it."
Sophia almost smiled. "A doll?"
"Yes," Ethan said, embarrassed. "It’s pink."
For a second, they both smiled. Small. Real.
Then Leo stirred. Woke up. Started crying.
Sophia stood. "Time to go."
Ethan handed Leo over carefully. "I’ll see you next Thursday?"
"Yes," Sophia said.
Ethan hesitated. "Sophia."
She stopped.
"I’m not doing this to get you back," he said quietly.
"I’m doing this to be there for him. That’s all."
Sophia didn’t answer. She just walked out.
---
2:00 PM. CEO Office.
The Forbes Women email was in her inbox.
`Ms. Miller,
We’d like to feature you: "The Woman Who Took Back Her Company."
Can we schedule?`
Sophia stared at it.
Her phone buzzed.
Unknown: `The internet is calling you a queen. - E`
Sophia typed: `Don’t call me.`
Deleted.
Typed: `Thank you.`
Deleted.
She put the phone down.
Mr. Greene came in. "The board wants to give you a bonus.
For handling this."
"I don’t want a bonus," Sophia said. "I want peace."
Greene nodded. "You’ll get it. Eventually."
After he left, Sophia opened her notebook.
Step 9: Build the future.
Step 9.1: Figure out what family means now.
Step 9.2: Forgive? Maybe. But not today.
Step 9.3: Stop reading his texts.
She crossed out 9.3. Rewrote it.
Step 9.3: Answer when it’s about Leo.
---
9:00 PM. Sophia’s Apartment.
Leo was asleep.
Sophia was on the couch. Laptop open.
The press release was still online. 2 million views.
She scrolled to the comments.
`She deserves better`
`He’s trying`
`Protect that baby`
Her phone buzzed.
Unknown: `Leo laughed today. When I made the silly face.
Thank you for letting me see it.`
Sophia didn’t reply.
She looked at the book on her coffee table. "Goodnight, Moon."
She picked it up. Opened it.
`For Leo. From Dad.`
Sophia closed her eyes.
Outside, the city was quiet.
The war was over. The apology was public.
Now there was only one question left:
What comes after sorry?
- Writer
