ousy." He had taken my work, my name, my dignity, and then he had twisted the knife, blaming me for daring to feel anything other than silent acceptance. The humiliation was

a cold, hard resolve began to crystallize in the swirling haze o

stunned crowd, a singular, terrifying focus guiding my steps towards the brightly

. Declan. His fingers bit into my skin, his grip a painful reminder of his power, his control.

. "Let go of me, Declan!" My voice was

smile. "My apologies, ladies and gentlemen," he announced, his voice smooth and practiced, belyin

a side door and into a deserted hallway. My feet stumbled, barely keeping pace with his furio

he words themselves felt like a betrayal, a weakness I couldn't afford. My wrist throbbed,

He stood over me, his chest heaving, his eyes blazing with a cold, righteous anger. "What was that, Cayla?" he demanded, h

cly humiliated me! You called me a 'drafting assistant,' for God's sake! What else is there to ruin?" My voice was barely a whisper, thick with a pain so profound, it stol

tling quietness. He reached out, his hand gently touching my cheek, hi

rwrought. You're not thinking straight." And then, before I could react,

de of yearning, of hoping, of aching for his touch, and this was it. A kiss born of manipulation, of a desperate attempt to silence me, to control me. He thought a kiss

ceral disgust. This wasn't love. This was a violation. This was him trying to reassert his ownership, to remi

the deserted hallway, clear and undeniable. His head snapped back, a crimson ma

ely now, hot and angry, but they were not for him. They were for the decade I

till wide with disbelief. He had never expected me to fight back. Never expecte

tinguished. My steps were shaky at first, but with each stride, they gained strength, purpose. I w

at I had stored on shared drives, on my firm laptop, on my personal cloud – I deleted them all. Every draft, every calculation, e

ry now, my mind clear. As I sat at the gate, waiting for my flight, I opened my phone again. Declan's number, Kisha's numbe

ly faded into the darkness. I wiped away the last of my tears, a resolute silence settling over me. This was it. A new life. A clean slat