CHAPTER 1: The Breakdown
1054 Words
“Look who’s here. Mr. S-s-s-stutter.”
Theo’s grip tightened on his folder. The break room went silent. His five coworkers watched him, their eyes locked on, no one speaking.
Marcus leaned against the counter with a smirk. “Come on, Theo. Say something. Or do you need five minutes to get the words out?”
Theo’s cheeks burned. “I just need coffee,” he managed to say.
“Oh, he speaks!” Marcus grabbed the coffee pot. “Let me help you with that.”
Hot coffee splashed onto Theo’s shirt. He jumped back, gasping. The fabric soaked through, the heat stinging his skin. His chest felt tight.
“Oops.” Marcus shrugged. “My bad.”
Laughter filled the room. Theo’s hands shook as he grabbed napkins. The coffee had burned his hand.
“You need to watch yourself, Marcus,” a voice said, but everyone was still grinning.
“Actually,” Marcus went on, “I need to talk to you about the Henderson report. You screwed up the numbers again.”
Theo’s stomach dropped. “What? No. I checked everything three times.”
“Well, you checked wrong. Mr. Henderson called this morning. He’s furious.” Marcus crossed his arms. “You’re making the whole team look bad.”
“I didn’t—”
“You never do, right? It’s always someone else’s fault.” Marcus stepped closer, his voice dropping. “No wonder your ex dumped you. You’re pathetic, Theo.”
The words hit him hard. Theo’s vision went fuzzy. He couldn’t breathe right. The walls seemed to be closing in.
He stumbled out of the breakroom and didn’t stop until he reached the restroom. He shut himself in a stall, his hands trembling.
---
Later, Theo stood near the copier. The smell of coffee was still on his shirt. He had tried to wash it, but the stain remained.
Voices came from the nearby meeting room, the door left open a crack.
“…can’t believe he cried in the bathroom.”
Theo froze.
“You notice how he looked?” It was Jessica—the same Jessica who always asked about his weekends, who sometimes brought him a coffee if he looked tired.
“He is a kicked puppy,” Marcus said. “That’s the problem. He’s too weak to even defend himself.”
"Do we even care?" Jessica said, and he could hear her grin.
“Why? He makes it too easy. Did you see those pants he wore yesterday? And that stutter—”
“I almost feel guilty,” Jessica cut in. “Almost.”
They both laughed.
Theo’s chest tightened. His breathing became quick and shallow. The room felt too small. He needed air, now. He had to get out.
He rushed past rows of desks, past people who watched him go. He reached the last door down the hall, yanked it open, and slipped through into the stairwell.
The cool, dark air pulled him in.
Theo slid down the wall. His whole body shook. Hot tears fell fast. He pressed his hands over his mouth to keep quiet.
They all hated him. Even Jessica. No one was on his side.
You're fragile. But you exist. It doesn't change anything.
His aunt’s words played in his head. She said them every morning when he was a boy, after his parents were gone, when he moved into her silent house.
Stay quiet if you want to survive.
But being quiet never fixed anything.
The door swung open.
Light flooded the stairwell. Theo scrambled to his feet, wiping his eyes.
Mr. Peterson, his boss, stood there, his face like stone.
“What are you doing in here?”
“I just needed a minute—”
“A minute? You’ve been gone for twenty. We have work to do, Theo.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll get back—”
“If you can’t handle pressure, you should quit.” Peterson’s voice was too loud. People were gathering in the hallway behind him. “This is a professional workplace. We don’t have time for emotional breakdowns.”
Theo’s face was hot. Everyone was staring.
"Yeah," he whispered, his voice cracking.
“Get back to your desk. And stop wasting company time.”
Theo pushed through the crowd. Someone laughed. He kept his head down and hurried to his desk.
He opened his laptop, his hands still shaking, his chest still tight. But he kept working.
This is how you survive.
---
That night, Theo sat in his apartment. The eviction notice lay on the table by the sink. He read it for the fourth time. It didn’t change.
Last warning: Pay $2,400 by Friday or get out.
Three days.
His phone buzzed. A message from an unknown number.
I know where you live now. We should talk.
His ex. Theo deleted the message, but his fingers started trembling again.
Next to the eviction notice were his medical bills. Three trips to the emergency room because he couldn’t breathe. The insurance had covered almost nothing. The stress was a heavy weight on his shoulders.
He needed this job. It was his only money. But every morning felt like he was drowning.
Theo grabbed his jacket and went back to the office. He had left his keys in his desk drawer. The building would be empty and silent.
He took the elevator to the fourth floor. The lights were off, only the exit signs glowed. His footsteps echoed.
He walked past the manager’s area—and froze.
There was a storage room here. It was bigger than the ones downstairs. More private.
Theo ducked inside and sat down in the darkness. He just needed to breathe. Just five minutes of quiet.
The door opened.
Theo looked up.
A man stood there, tall and dressed in an expensive, sharp suit. His eyes were dark and cold. They moved over Theo slowly, taking him in.
"What's your name?" the man said. His voice was low and calm, but it had a sharp edge. This was not a man you disobeyed.
Theo’s mouth went dry.
This wasn't just any storage room.
This was Damien Carlow’s private room, right next to his office.
Damien Carlow stared at him, his gaze cold and unmoving, like he had found a rat in his house.
- Writer
