I didn't mean to come across as faulting you as much as I probably did. Personnel issues are difficult, and it's valuable to look at stories like yours with the benefit of hindsight. An expensive lesson for you is a free one for your readers!

On that note, your comment that "[you] weren't looking to push her out" is worth unpacking. If you've ever broken up with a boy/girlfriend, you know that afterward, each person has his or her own narrative of what "really happened," which each person believes with total sincerity. It's a valuable to to step out of your own head, and try to understand enough about the other person's situation to be able to articulate their narrative. Third parties, whether juries or your own employees, will judge you based on the strength of those competing narratives.