All Chapters of Too Late for Spring: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The rain was still pouring when I left the parking lot.A sharp ache tightened across my lower stomach.By the time I reached the curb, my legs gave out. I grabbed a streetlight pole and stood there for what felt like forever before I finally waved down a taxi.The driver glanced at me through the rearview mirror."Miss, are you headed to the hospital?"I nodded."Please... as fast as you can."In the emergency room, a nurse handed me a clean hospital gown. When I peeled off my soaked clothes, I finally saw the dark stain spreading across my jeans.After all the tests were done, the doctor slid a report across the desk."You were pregnant. It was still very early, but the embryo had already stopped developing."He paused before continuing."The fall in the rain made the bleeding worse. We need to keep you overnight for observation."I froze."Pregnant?"The doctor looked up at me."You didn't know?"I slowly shook my head.For the past 2 months, I had been buried in a

Once I settled into my short‑term rental, I went back to polishing my application for the new position.The day before the anniversary celebration, James called me into his office."Tomorrow's the anniversary event. Zara will be giving the presentation instead. Those old garage photos are still online, and having you two appear together could affect the company."I leaned back in my chair. "The proposal I created, and she gets to present it?""You're not losing any credit." He said it like it was no big deal.I stared at him."Five years ago, you told me to put up with it for a while. You said things would be fine once the attention died down."Five years have passed, and you're still asking me to hide."James, are you really protecting me, or are you protecting the two of you?"His face darkened little by little. "This is the company's decision.""No." I pushed the documents back across the desk. "This is just what you've gotten used to. You're used to making me step aside."

There were only three things inside. There was a photo of James and me from five years ago, a key to the apartment, and a hospital report.James stared at those few lines on the report. His whole body went rigid.That day, in the pouring rain, I had fallen into the mud. He had shielded Zara as she got into the car.He had thought the only thing I had lost that day was a cake. He had been wrong.By the time he reached the airport, boarding for my flight had already closed. He rushed to the counter, his voice falling apart."Has Yvonne already gone through?"The airport employee could only repeat the same thing."I'm sorry, sir. We can't disclose passenger information."He ran to the security checkpoint, but the guards stopped him. Then Joyce came back out from the other side. She looked as if she had known all along that he would come. She handed him an old notebook."Yvonne asked me to give this to you."James opened it. Pages one through ninety‑nine were filled with dates.

The head of the company's internal investigation team looked up at her."Ms. Charlton, we've already pulled the records for the original drafts."The final versions of the scripts were completed after Yvonne submitted her proposals."Zara's lips moved, but no words came out.James lifted his head."A lot of the content came from Yvonne."She never gave us permission to turn our private relationship into promotional material for the couple account."Once those words were out, there was no way to contain the situation anymore.That same day, the company issued an internal disciplinary notice. James was removed from his position as director and demoted to an ordinary project consultant.All operating rights for the account were revoked.Zara's eligibility for company partnerships was suspended pending further investigation.Neither of them blamed the other, and neither felt the need to post a long statement trying to clear their name.The account that had once gained millions

A year later, I returned to my old city for the company's annual conference.This time, I came back as the head of the new project team and one of the conference's main speakers.Before I went onstage, my assistant straightened my materials and smiled."Ms. Wheeler, a lot of people out there are waiting to hear your case study."I took the microphone and nodded.When I stepped into the spotlight, I saw plenty of familiar faces in the front rows.I saw James. He was sitting off to the right. His name badge read Project Consultant. He was no longer the Mr. Porter everyone used to crowd around.My eyes rested on him for only a second before moving on.The presentation went smoothly. I talked about rebuilding a brand, communicating with users, and the challenges of launching a project in a new location, along with the adjustments we had made along the way.The audience applauded several times.When I finished, the host smiled."Ms. Wheeler, we hope you'll come back to headquarte