The CEO's Runaway Pregnant Architect

Allison Knapp POV:

The sound of my suitcase wheels echoed on the polished travertine floors of the lobby. It was a crisp, deliberate sound in the quiet of the early morning, and it turned every head.

The receptionist looked up from her computer, her welcoming smile faltering into confusion. "Allison? Are you... heading on a business trip?"

I gave her a gentle smile that didn't reach my eyes. "No, just picking up a few personal things." The words were calm, but they landed in the quiet office with the weight of a dropped stone.

I walked through the open-plan design studio, ignoring the stares. I felt them on my back—curiosity, pity, and in some corners, a smug satisfaction. My workstation was in a prime location, a spacious corner with a view, right next to Jayson's glass-walled office. It also meant I was on full display.

The whispers started immediately, a low hiss of office gossip.

"She actually brought a suitcase..."

"Is the rumor true? Her and Jayson..."

"Ciera was in his office until after midnight. I saw her leave."

I heard it all. My expression didn't change. It was like listening to a story about someone else.

I began to pack, my movements methodical. My personal sketchbooks, the laptop I owned before the company, a small potted succulent that had somehow survived my neglect. I took only what was mine. The firm's equipment, the awards with my name on them, I left it all.

A figure appeared at my side, cloaked in a cloud of expensive perfume. Ciera. She was dressed in a sharp, tailored pantsuit, her makeup flawless. She looked radiant.

"Allie, you're really packing up?" she said, her voice a perfect blend of concern and surprise. It was just loud enough for everyone in the vicinity to hear. "Jayson is going to be so worried. Did you two have a misunderstanding?"

She was positioning herself as the reasonable, caring friend, the peacemaker. She was framing this as my emotional overreaction.

I didn't stop packing. I didn't even look at her. I just stacked a few books into my box and gave a noncommittal, "Mm."

Her smile tightened at the edges. My lack of engagement was throwing her off script. She pressed on, her voice dripping with faux sympathy. "Jayson was working so hard on that project last night. He barely slept. The pressure on him is immense, you should try to be more understanding."

There it was. The final play. She was cementing their alliance, painting a picture of them as partners burning the midnight oil, while I was the needy, unsupportive girlfriend at home.

I finally stopped. I placed a drafting pencil neatly into its case and slowly, deliberately, raised my head. My eyes met hers for the first time that morning.

My gaze was flat, a placid lake with a thousand feet of ice beneath it. I saw the confidence in her eyes waver, her carefully constructed poise beginning to crack.

My eyes drifted from her face down to the delicate gold necklace at her throat. A piece I recognized. One Jayson had given her for her birthday last month.

My voice, when I spoke, was quiet, but it cut through the office hum like a surgeon's scalpel.

"You should take good care of Jayson's things," I said, my eyes locked on the necklace. "Make sure he doesn't lose them."

A collective, sharp intake of breath rippled through the nearby desks. The double meaning was unmistakable. I wasn't talking about the necklace. I was talking about Jayson himself. And I was calling her an object.

Ciera's face flushed a deep, blotchy red. She opened her mouth to retort, but no words came out. Any defense she could offer would only make her look cheap, confirming the subtext of my words.

I gave her no further attention. I zipped up the last compartment of my box, stacked it on my suitcase, and stood up. I was taller than her by a good four inches, and from this vantage point, she looked small and flustered.

Without another word to her, I turned and walked toward the closed door of Jayson's office.

Every eye in the room followed me. The air was thick with anticipation. They were all wondering what I would do next. Start a screaming match? Make one last, desperate plea?

They had no idea.