The question hung in the air between them. Fiona felt Caleb's arm tighten protectively around her waist. She met Tanya's gaze steadily, sensing something deeper beneath the professional concern. Tanya's eyes held a pain that went beyond simple surprise a quiet, personal shattering that she was trying hard to mask.
Fiona nodded slowly, keeping her voice gentle. "Yes, Tanya. It's true. We're engaged."
For Tanya, those four words felt like the final collapse of a carefully constructed world she had built in secret over many years. The elegant chaos of the Moonshine launch continued around them voices rising in disbelief, cameras flashing, guests clustering in animated groups but inside Tanya's chest, everything went still and then fractured.
She had loved Caleb Reed for longer than she cared to admit, even to herself.
