Hi Jessica,
I'm Mark, Maya's now ex-boyfriend. Maya told me that she and Gavin spent an hour cuddling in the dark in the break room last Tuesday for "emotional regulation." She insisted this was normal and platonic. I disagreed, so I ended the relationship. I figured you deserved to know how your husband spends his afternoons, just in case you don't share their definition of platonic.
Best,
Mark.
The fallout was nuclear. I learned the details later through a mutual friend, Dave, who still worked in their building.
Apparently, Gavin didn't fight for Maya. He didn't leave his wife for his soulmate. He didn't stand tall and defend their spiritual connection. Gavin panicked.
When Jessica confronted him, Gavin threw Maya directly under the bus. He claimed Maya was obsessed with him. He claimed she was the one cornering him, that he was uncomfortable but didn't know how to say no because of office politics. To save his marriage and his job, Gavin went to HR first.
By the time Maya got to her desk on Monday, she wasn't greeted by a sympathetic work husband; she was greeted by a meeting invite from the director of human resources. Gavin had filed a formal complaint against her for inappropriate workplace conduct and creating a hostile environment. She was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
That afternoon, I received an email from Maya's work address, since I had blocked her personal accounts:
From: Maya (Corporate Email)