I hang up before he can respond, then immediately regret it.
Because he's right. I am running away.
I'm protecting myself the only way I know how—by keeping distance, maintaining control, not letting anyone close enough to hurt me.
Including the father of my child.
Including the man I'm pretty sure I'm falling in love with.
Chapter seventeen
~DONOVAN~
Wednesday afternoon—two days after Emma hung up on me—I'm sitting in a private dining room at The Modern, trying to focus on business while my entire life feels like it's unraveling.
The product launch reviews are stellar. Tech publications are calling the AI platform "revolutionary" and "game-changing." Early adoption numbers exceed projections by thirty percent.
The IPO is scheduled for mid-September, just six weeks away.
Everything I've worked for is finally comingtogether.
And all I can think about is Emma.
Emma, who won't return my calls.
Emma, who's been avoiding me at the office like the plague.
Emma, who's carrying my child and treating me like the colleague who steals the coffee pods.
"Donovan?" Michael Cho's voice cuts through my thoughts. "You with us?"
I refocus on the table. In town for the week sans one asshole Josh Hanlin, Michael and his business partner—a woman named Patricia Lin—are discussing international expansion opportunities. Smart strategy. Solid projections.
I should be paying attention.
"Sorry," I say. "Late night. What were you saying about the Singapore market?"
Patricia launches into an analysis of Asian tech adoption rates, and I force myself to engage, to nod at the right moments, to ask intelligent questions.
But my mind keeps circling back to Emma.
To the way she looked at me in that conference room. Like I was a problem to be managed instead of the father of her child.
To the fear in her voice when she talked about people thinking she was sleeping her way to the top.
To the fact that she's right—people are talking, and there's nothing I can do to stop it without making things worse.
"Donovan."
I look up. Michael's watching me.
"You sure you're alright? You seem distracted."
"I'm fine. Just a lot on my plate with the IPO."
"Understandable." Patricia closes her tablet. "We won't take up more of your time. But think about what we discussed—our Singapore connections could accelerate your expansion timeline significantly."
"I will. Thank you."
