I walked down the hallway, trying to shake off the heaviness left behind from my confrontation with Derek. My pulse was still racing, a mix of anger and frustration bubbling just beneath the surface. I hated how easily he could pull those emotions out of me, even after all this time. But I wouldn’t let him win. Not today.
As I approached my office, I noticed something unsettling, people were staring at me. It wasn’t the direct kind of stare, but more the subtle glances exchanged between coworkers as I passed. A few of them pretended to be working, tapping away at their keyboards or pretending to organize files, but their eyes would shift to me the moment they thought I wasn’t looking. It wasn’t the kind of stare that meant I had done something wrong, but it was a stare.
“Good morning Ma’
