Ivy
It started with just whispers in the hallway. The pauses in conversation when I walked into a room. Glances that lasted just a second too long. By Tuesday, I could feel them clinging to me like static. I kept my head down. Did my work. Filed the briefs. Prepared the case summaries. Smiled at the partners when I passed them in the corridor like I wasn’t crumbling quietly beneath the surface.
Lexi’s handiwork was everywhere, even if no one said her name. And by Wednesday, it wasn’t just whispers. It was the coffee breaks I wasn’t invited to. Meetings where my seat had been taken. Eye contact that slid away too fast. I tried to ignore it. I tried to act like it didn’t hurt. But it did. And Damian? He was quiet. Distant. Detached in a way that felt colder than it should have.
He didn’t
