The walk from the door to his desk felt like a march toward a firing squad. My bare feet sank into the plush, expensive carpet, every fiber feeling like a needle against my skin. The air was heavy, smelling of sweat, latex, and that cloying blonde’s perfume. I moved with a mechanical stiffness, my heart a jagged stone in my chest, as I reached the desk.
To hand him the file, I had to reach past her. She was still draped over him, her skin flushed and her eyes half-lidded with a smug, post-coital glow. She looked like a trophy won in a war I didn't realize I was fighting. I didn't look at her or even acknowledge the bare, pale curve of her shoulder as my hand hovered inches away to drop the folder onto the mahogany surface.
"Explain it," Ethan commanded, his voice vibrating with a dark, s
