Fiona felt the weight of that stare like a physical touch. It pulled at sothing deep in her chest, the sa pull that had drawn her to him that first night, the sa pull she had been trying so hard to bury. For a split second their gazes almost locked.
She looked the other way.
She turned her head toward the window, staring out at the glittering city skyline as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world. Her jaw tightened.
She would not give him the satisfaction. Not after Katherine had just painted her as a possible saboteur in front of the entire leadership team. Not after weeks of mixed signals and broken promises.
Martin’s footsteps continued. He said nothing. But Fiona could feel the reluctance in his stride as he and Katherine left the boardroom together.
The door clicked shut behind them.
Only then did Fiona let out the breath she had been holding.
Riley slid into the chair beside her almost imdiately, her expression a mix of disbelief and fierce protectiveness.
"These days are never bad, Fee," Riley said quietly, shaking her head. "But this... this is not good at all. What happened in there? We really didn’t expect anyone to be blaming you for leaking information before our event. Katherine basically implied you’re the reason Moonshine knew everything. In front of everyone."
Fiona stared down at her hands, the polished manicure from last week now feeling like a cruel joke. She could still hear Katherine’s smooth, concerned voice echoing in her head.
She knows every detail... the exact tiline, the ssaging pillars, the full influencer list...
If there’s anything you need to share... now would be the ti...
Fiona swallowed hard, her throat tight.
"I know," she whispered. "It wasn’t even a direct accusation. That’s what made it worse. She made it sound like she was just ’thinking out loud for the good of the company.’ Like she was protecting Martin and Voss... while throwing under the bus."
Riley reached over and squeezed her arm.
"You handled it perfectly. You stayed calm, you defended yourself. But the way everyone looked at you after she said it... I wanted to stand up and tell her off. You’ve poured your heart into this event. You designed half the concepts. Why would you sabotage it? It doesn’t make sense."
Fiona let out a bitter little laugh that didn’t reach her eyes.
"Because it’s easier for her to point at than to admit the timing looks suspicious for other reasons. I was gone yesterday for one day — one family ergency — and suddenly I’m the leak? She knows exactly what she was doing. She’s marking her territory. Making sure everyone sees as the weak link, the stressed-out employee who can’t be trusted. Especially now, right before the event."
Her hand moved instinctively under the table to rest against her stomach. No one knew she was seriously considering walking straight into Moonshine — the very company everyone was convinced had just tried to destroy them.
The weight of it all pressed down on her chest until breathing felt difficult.
Riley’s voice softened.
"You’re not alone in this, Fi. I’ve got your back. The whole team does — the ones who actually know you. Katherine’s just... inserting herself. She’s not even an employee. She’s the fiancée. She has no right to speak like that in a leadership eting."
Fiona nodded, but the words barely registered. Her mind kept replaying the scene: Katherine’s elegant posture at the front of the table, the way she had looked straight at her while listing every sensitive detail Fiona knew, the way the room had gone silent, the way Martin had finally stepped in.
We don’t throw accusations around without proof.
He had defended her. Publicly. In front of everyone. His voice had been firm, protective, the kind of tone that said she is off-limits. For one brief mont it had felt like the Martin from the elevator — the one who had pulled her close and made her feel like the only person in the world.
But then Katherine had touched his arm, called him "darling," and the mont had shattered.
Fiona rubbed her temple, exhaustion settling deep into her bones.
"I just... "I can’t keep doing this. The accusations, the looks, the constant feeling like I’m walking on glass.
."
Riley opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, the door to the creative floor opened again.
Martin stepped in.
He wasn’t supposed to be here. The executive floor was two levels up. The eting had ended few minutes ago. Yet here he was, suit jacket gone, sleeves still rolled up, moving with quiet purpose through the now-half-empty office. His eyes scanned the room until they landed on Fiona.
He started walking toward her desk.
Riley noticed and gave Fiona a quick, knowing look.
"I’ll give you two a minute," she whispered, standing up.
Fiona’s heart lurched. She didn’t want a minute. She didn’t want any of this.
Martin stopped a few feet away, close enough that she could sll the faint trace of his cologne — cedar and spice, the sa scent that still haunted her dreams. His voice was low, ant only for her.
"Fiona... can we talk? Just for a second. In private. My office, or anywhere. Please."
She didn’t look at him.
She kept her eyes fixed on the resignation letter she had pulled halfway out of her bag, fingers trembling slightly. The words Katherine had spoken still rang in her ears. The way Martin had defended her still burned in her chest. The baby kicked again, harder, as if urging her to rember why she was doing this.
She said nothing.
Instead, she stood up, grabbed her things — laptop, coat, bag — in one smooth, deliberate motion.
Martin took a half-step closer, his voice dropping even lower.
"Fiona, wait. I know today was... I shut it down. I told her there was no proof. I wasn’t going to let her—"
She brushed past him without a word.
No glance. No reply. No acknowledgnt.
She simply turned and walked toward the elevators, her heels clicking steadily against the floor. Her back was straight, her chin high, even though her legs felt like they might give out any second.
Martin stood there, frozen, watching her go.
He didn’t follow.
He didn’t call her na again.
Fiona didn’t look back.
She stepped into the elevator, pressed the button for the ground floor, and let the doors close behind her.
She had to get out.
She had to breathe.
Fiona didn’t rember the walk to the parking garage.
One mont she was brushing past Martin in the creative floor, ignoring the way his eyes burned into her back, and the next she was sliding into her car, keys shaking in her hand. She sat there for a long minute .
Katherine’s words kept looping in her head — that smooth, concerned voice listing every detail Fiona knew about the event, implying she was the leak, the weak link, the problem. Martin’s defense had co too late and felt too little. He had shut Katherine down, yes. He had looked at her like he still cared. But he had still walked out of that room with his fiancée on his arm.
Enough.
Fiona lifted her head, wiped the single tear that had escaped, and pulled out her phone.
She was done waiting for permission. Done listening to her mother’s cautious advice that Caleb couldn’t fight Martin for her.
Done pretending she could keep balancing on this tightrope while carrying a child whose father would never choose her.
She dialed Caleb’s number.
He answered on the second ring, voice warm and instantly alert.
"Fi? You okay? I saw the Moonshine news trending and figured your office must be losing it today."
Fiona closed her eyes, letting the sound of his voice steady her.
"I’m not okay," she said honestly. "But I will be. Can you et ? Right now? I will be at the café by the bay — the one near my work place I... I need to see you."
There was no hesitation.
"I’m on my way. Twenty minutes, okay?"
She hung up, a walked slowly to the cafe.
The café was quiet when she arrived, the late-afternoon light turning the water golden. Caleb was already there, waiting at their usual corner table, two coffees and a plate of her favorite lemon cookies waiting. The mont he saw her, he stood, concern written all over his face.
She didn’t sit.
Instead, she walked straight into his arms.
Caleb wrapped her up without question, one hand cradling the back of her head, the other resting gently at the small of her back — careful, protective, never demanding. She breathed him in: clean soap, fresh air, safety.
When she finally pulled back, her eyes were shining with unshed tears but her voice was clear.
"I’m saying yes."
Caleb blinked, searching her face.
"Yes to...?"
"To all of it," Fiona said, voice steady for the first ti in months. "Your proposal. Marrying you. Letting you be the father to this baby. I’m done waiting for Martin to choose . I’m choosing myself. And I’m choosing you."
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