“Source Denies Affair Between CEO and Exec at Coldplay Concert: ‘Families Have Been Devastated’”.Ng2

Two months after​ then-Astronomer​ CEO Andy Byron was seen on camera at a Coldplay concert with Kristin Cabot, who was working as his company’s chief people officer, a source close to Cabot is speaking out for the first time to clarify the nature of their relationship.

Byron, 51, had his arms wrapped around Cabot, 53, and then ducked out of view after being spotted by the so-called kiss cam.

But that instantly viral moment doesn’t reflect the real story, according to the Cabot source.

In recent weeks, new details have emerged about how Cabot was already divorcing her own husband before attending the concert with Byron.

The former CEO is reportedly married as well, but the Cabot source insists she was not breaking up a marriage.

“Kristin and Andy [Byron] had an excellent working relationship, a great friendship. There was no affair,” the source tells PEOPLE.

“It was inappropriate to be hugging your boss at a concert, and she accepts full responsibility for it,” the source says. “But the scandal, the downfall, the loss of the job — all of that is unfair.”

The source is speaking out now to correct what they call the many assumptions made after Byron and Cabot made international headlines for their reaction to being seen together during the Coldplay concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., on July 16.

Once they realized they were on screen, Cabot covered her face as Byron tried to hide from view.

The odd reaction prompted Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin to say from the stage, “Oh, look at these two. All right, c’mon, you’re okay.”

He then jokingly added, “Oh, what? Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”

The moment thrust two couples — Byron and his reported spouse, Megan, and Cabot and her husband, Andrew — into the spotlight, fueling countless memes and headlines.

The tabloids began probing their private lives; paparazzi tracked them down.

Both Byron and Cabot soon left Astronomer, and the company said after Byron’s resignation that “our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met.”

The source close to Cabot maintains that coverage of the incident itself spiraled far beyond the truth.

“It is important to note how inappropriately mislabeled Kristin has been — as a homewrecker,” says the source, who notes Byron and Cabot attended the concert with a group of friends.

“It’s unfathomable to witness what has happened, and how devastating it can be, for not just individuals, but entire families,” says the source. “All I can think of is that this could happen to any of us at any time. I think all of the misinformation has been the most mind-blowing to witness.”

“These are real people and real families,” they say. “The way people have taken a lot of enjoyment at their expense, it’s hard to see.”

Cabot herself did not comment to PEOPLE for this story; Byron has not spoken publicly and has not responded to multiple requests for comment.

At the time of the concert, Cabot and her husband were already separated. She went on to file for divorce on Aug. 13, requesting that the information about the proceedings remain private, and her spouse agreed.

“They are amicably separated and moving forward towards divorce, focused on their families,” says the Cabot source, echoing what a spokeswoman for Cabot’s husband previously told PEOPLE in a brief statement.

She has two kids from her first marriage. Her husband, the CEO of Privateer Rum, also has two kids from a prior marriage.

“Kristin and Andrew [Cabot] had been living apart,” the Cabot source says, adding that on the night Cabot was seen with Byron, her husband was also “at the Coldplay concert on a date.”

“It was not a company event,” says the source of Byron and Cabot being together that night. “There was no company box. It was a night with a big group of friends and an inappropriate moment.”

As for how Cabot is doing, the source says, “It’s been hard for her to leave the house. She’s been prioritizing her family. Her kids have been through a lot.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The controversy has stirred much discussion about the nature of privacy in a digital age.

“Kristin had people standing outside her car while she was picking her son up from work, grown women laughing, taking pictures, pointing,” the source says. “It’s been a tough thing to watch.”

Some of the attention was even more alarming, this source says.

“In the first three days after the news broke, she had about 900 death threats on her phone,” the source says. “And just overall, the mockery made of someone, the way people really seem to enjoy it and feel as though if somebody makes a mistake — public shaming is absolutely on the table as a punishment.”

No longer having her job, where she’d worked for seven months, was another blow. She resigned in late July, Astronomer said at the time, days after Byron stepped down.

“Kristin is and always has been one of the hardest working women I’ve ever met,” says the source of Cabot, who had a career in advertising for 22 years and has been in tech since 2016.

Despite some coverage focusing on Cabot and Byron’s perceived wealth and status, says the source, “She’s been working since she was 15 years old. She’s a self-made person.”

Right now, the source says, Cabot “is making sure her kids are okay, and that’s going to take time.”

“Kristin has a lot of family and friends around her that know who she really is and love her, and will all see her through this,” the source says, adding, “It will take time.”