Tuesday morning arrived with the weight of consequences.
Ayana sat in the community centre's main room, helping a fifth-grader with fractions, trying to focus on anything except the closed-door meeting happening in the conference room. Nelson, Dr. Hayes, the board chair, and two lawyers had been in there for ninety minutes. Through the frosted glass, she could see shadows moving, gestures sharp with tension.
He was doing it. Exposing Thomas Garrett. Blowing up his own careful world in the name of integrity.
God, she loved him.
"Miss Ayana?" The student tugged her sleeve. "You're not listening."
"Sorry, Marcus. You're right. Let's try this problem again."
But her attention kept drifting to that conference room door. To the storm about to break.
At eleven o'clock, the door opened. The lawyers emerged first, expressions grim and professional. Then the board chair—Mrs. Chen, a retired teacher with steel in her spine. Then Dr. Hayes, looking older and sadder. Finally, Nelson, his face carved from stone, exhaustion evident in every line.
Their eyes met across the room. He gave her the smallest nod.
It's done
Twenty minutes later, her phone buzzed with a group text to all centre staff and volunteers: Emergency meeting. Main room. Noon. Attendance mandatory.
Raven appeared beside Ayana's table, her expression predatory with curiosity. "Any idea what this is about?"
"No clue," Ayana lied.
"Interesting timing. Right after a closed-door meeting with lawyers." Raven's smile was sharp. "Something tells me someone's in trouble."
Ayana kept her face neutral. "Guess we'll find out at noon."
---
By noon, every staff member and volunteer had crowded into the main room. Forty people, all buzzing with speculation. Nelson stood at the front with Mrs. Chen and Dr. Hayes, his expression professionally blank, but his hands clenched at his sides.
Mrs. Chen called for quiet. "Thank you all for gathering on short notice. We have some difficult news to share regarding the centre's finances."
The room went silent.
"Our director, Nelson Ward, recently uncovered evidence of financial misconduct. Over the past two years, approximately seventy-five thousand dollars in donations and grant money have been systematically embezzled." Gasps rippled through the crowd. "The perpetrator has been identified as board member Thomas Garrett."
Chaos erupted. Everyone is talking at once, shock and angry and disbelief colliding. Thomas Garrett—church elder, respected businessman, pillar of the community. It was impossible. It had to be a mistake.
But Mrs. Chen's expression said it wasn't.
"Nelson brought this evidence to the board's attention yesterday. We've reviewed his findings with legal counsel. The evidence is conclusive. Mr. Garrett has been removed from the board effective immediately. Criminal charges will be filed. We're working with law enforcement to recover what funds we can."
Someone shouted, "How did this happen?"
"Mr. Garrett had oversight of the donation accounts. He falsified reports, created shell expenses, and redirected funds to personal accounts." Mrs. Chen's voice was steady but angry. "Nelson discovered the discrepancies during a routine audit three weeks ago. He's been gathering evidence since then."
Three weeks ago. Right when Ayana had come home. He'd been carrying this burden the entire time they'd been falling in love.
"I want to be clear," Mrs. Chen continued. "Nelson acted with complete integrity. He could have ignored the discrepancies to avoid scandal. Instead, he risked his reputation and the centre's stability to do what was right. We're grateful for his courage."
The room's energy shifted—anger redirecting from Nelson to Garrett. But Ayana could see the handful of faces that remained sceptical. Raven among them.
Nelson finally spoke, his voice controlled but strained. "I know this is shocking. Thomas has been with this centre since its founding. He's done good work. But he also betrayed your trust and stole from the children we serve. I couldn't stay silent about that, regardless of the cost."
"What cost?" someone called out.
"Thomas is already threatening lawsuits. Defamation, wrongful termination. His lawyer sent a letter this morning claiming I fabricated evidence out of personal vendetta." Nelson's jaw tightened. "I didn't. But the legal battle ahead will be expensive and ugly. We may lose donors who are friends with Thomas. Some of you may face pressure to take his side."
"We're behind you, Nelson," Dr. Hayes said firmly. Several others echoed agreement.
But not everyone. Ayana watched three volunteers exchange uncomfortable glances. Watched Raven's eyes narrow with calculation.
The meeting dissolved into smaller conversations. Nelson was immediately surrounded by supportive staff asking questions, offering help. Ayana wanted to go to him, but Raven beat her to it.
"Quite the bombshell," Raven said, loud enough for others to hear. "Must have been difficult, keeping this secret for weeks. Who else knew?"
"Only Dr. Hayes and legal counsel," Nelson said evenly. "I couldn't risk word getting out before we had solid evidence."
"Of course. Though it must have been lonely, carrying that burden alone." Raven's gaze slid to Ayana. "No one to confide in. No one to share the stress with."
The implication was clear. Ayana felt other eyes turning toward her, speculative and curious.
"I had professional support," Nelson said firmly. "That's all that mattered."
"Mm." Raven didn't look convinced. "Well, I hope the centre survives this. Would hate to see all your hard work destroyed because you couldn't let sleeping dogs lie."
She walked away, leaving poison in her wake.
---
The afternoon was chaos. Parents called demanding explanations. Donors contacted the board, asking pointed questions. Local news picked up the story—Community Accused of embezzlement. By three o'clock, reporters were camped outside the centre.
Ayana worked her tutoring shift in a daze, watching Nelson navigate crisis after crisis with exhausted grace. He gave a statement to the press. Fielded angry calls from Thomas Garrett's allies. Reassured frightened staff that the centre would survive.
He was magnificent. And he was breaking.
At five, Dr. Hayes found Ayana in the resource library. "He needs to go home. Rest. But he won't listen to me."
"What do you want me to do?"
"You're the only one he might listen to." Dr. Hayes's expression was knowing, kind. "Go tell that stubborn man to take care of himself. Before he collapses."
Ayana found Nelson in his office, surrounded by paperwork, tie loosened, exhaustion etched into every line of his face. He looked up when she knocked, and the relief in his eyes nearly broke her.
"Hey," she said softly, closing the door.
"Hey." His voice was raw. "Hell of a day."
"You did the right thing."
"Tell that to the fifteen donors who've already pulled their pledges. Or the three board members demanding my resignation. Or Thomas Garrett's lawyer who's threatening to destroy my reputation." He laughed bitterly. "Integrity is expensive."
"But it's still right." She moved closer, wanted desperately to touch him but didn't dare. Not here. Not now. "Nelson, you're exhausted. Go home. The crisis can wait until tomorrow."
"Can't. There is too much to do."
"You can't fix everything tonight. You're human. You need rest."
"I'm fine."
"You're not fine. You're running on fumes and stubbornness." She softened her voice. "Please. For me. Go home. Sleep. Let Dr. Hayes handles tonight's calls. The centre needs you strong, not burned out."
He stared at her for a long moment. Then his shoulders sagged. "You're right. I just—I hate leaving when everything's falling apart."
"It's not falling apart. It's restructuring.
A ghost of a smile crossed his face. "When did you get so wise?"
"Boston. Also, loving you gave me perspective on what actually matters."
His expression cracked open with emotion. "I wish I could kiss you right now."
"I know. Me too." She glanced at the door. "But we have two and a half weeks until we can. So for now—go home. Rest. I'll check on you later."
"How?"
"I'll figure it out."
He gathered his things slowly, reluctance evident in every movement. At the door, he paused. "Ayana? Thank you. For believing in me. For—" He stopped, voice breaking. "For everything."
"Always."
She watched him leave, her heart aching with love and pride and fear. He'd done the right thing. But the right thing was going to cost them both more than they'd imagined.
Her phone buzzed. Unknown number: Interesting how invested you are in Nelson's wellbeing. One might think there's more than professional concern there. - R
Raven.
Ayana deleted the text, but the warning was clear.
The clock was ticking faster than they'd planned.
And the storm was only beginning.