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“Is it okay if I step out of this triangle now?” he asks, his voice gentle to soothe the sting. “Leave you and Theo to… you and Theo?”

“Oh god, yes. Of course. I’m sorry.”

“Georgia,” he says. “You don’t have to be sorry. None of this is your fault. I’m just not good at playing piggy in the middle.”

“And you shouldn’t have to,” I agree. He’s Theo’s friend, after all. He stepped in like a gentleman, now it’s my time to let him step away. “Thank you for all you’ve done. I owe you. And if you’re ever in Manhattan, give me a call.”

“I’ll do that.” He sounds genuine. “And Georgia?”

“Yes?”

“For what it’s worth… I’ve known Theo a long time.” He hesitates. “I’ve never seen him fall for someone the way he fell for you. And I’m not saying that to drag you back into anything,” he adds quietly. “Just… don’t start thinking he doesn’t care, because he does.”

I swallow, telling myself the falling doesn’t matter. It was the fighting that wasn’t there. “Okay,” I say, because Caleb made it clear he didn’t want to be in the middle. So I’m not going to put him there.

“Take care of yourself,” he says.

“You too,” I reply. I’ll send him a gift once I’m back on my feet. He helped me when he didn’t have to. And I won’t forget that.

The line goes quiet. I switch my phone off and lean my head back against the seat, as New York stretches out in front of me.

And I take a deep breath because it’s a new day and a new country. All I have to do is to figure out where I belong now. Because less than twenty-four hours ago, I thought I might belong with him.

THEO

“Are you sitting down?” Saskia asks, her voice echoing through the phone.

“No,” I say into the mouthpiece, pulling my overnight bag over my shoulder as I head toward the garage. “I’m leaving for the airport. Why would I need to sit down?”

“You’re definitely going to New York then?”

“Yes,” I tell her. “I am.”

My flight leaves in an hour and a half, and I already owe Caleb too much for this. There’s no way in hell I can be late. He’d probably kill me with his bare hands.

“Is everything okay?” I ask, as I reach my car and nod at the valet before I toss my bag onto the passenger seat, bracing myself for the lecture that’s probably coming.

I’ve already got one from our chief legal advisor, after all.

It doesn’t look good, Theo. An unplanned trip out of the country on Christmas Eve screams guilt.

Yeah, well, he’s right, I am feeling guilty. But for a very different reason.

I’m guilty about the way I treated Georgia. About the way I didn’t jump to her defense like I should have. And as far as I’m concerned, she’s the only person whose judgment matters.

“I’ve found out who the mole is,” Saskia says.

For a moment the world seems to tilt slightly on its axis. I take a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves.

“Who is it?” I ask, climbing into the car and hitting the ignition button, our call automatically shifting to Bluetooth.

Saskia must hear the engine rumble because she says sharply, “Don’t start driving yet, for god’s sake. I could do without explaining to the press why you ended up driving into a wall.”

“Then tell me who it is,” I say.

She takes a breath, like she doesn’t want to be the one to tell me. “It’s Katherine Ridley.”

“Kate?” I say, frowning at the phone. “No, that can’t be right. She was at the party. She’s a friend of the family. She’s…” The words die in my throat. She’s the one who accused Georgia. “How sure are you?” My stomach twists. Of all the people at the party I never suspected her.