Exactly one year had passed since the day his former wife boarded a plane with their son without his consent, leaving behind only a lawyer’s letter and an empty bedroom. Twelve months of unanswered calls, postponed hearings, and hollow reassurances from attorneys who promised progress while billing relentlessly. Jonathan had tried to be patient, to trust the system, but every night ended the same way, with him staring at his phone, waiting for a video call that never came. The board meeting with European investors had started thirty minutes earlier, but for the first time in his life, ambition felt meaningless.