The line clicked dead, and with it, a stabbing pain wrenched through my chest. He didn’t deny it. He knew exactly what I was talking about and didn’t deny it. I could feel myself falling apart like a sheet of glass splintering until it was webbed with cracks. All it would take was the right touch, and I would come apart, a jigsaw of pieces scattered across the floor. I tried to take a deep, calming breath, but my lungs wouldn’t cooperate. They convulsed with each attempt, making the air draw in and out in shaky puffs. Tears burned in the back of my throat, and I felt the intense pressure of the walls closing in around me. Unable to bear the crushing strain any longer, I burst from the room and came face-to-face with two coworkers. They gaped at me, eyes rounded as they both took in my dish
