NICOLE
She reaches for a brown envelope resting neatly on the corner of her desk. "There were four employees who didn't attend today's meeting."
My breathing grows shallow.
"You..." She pauses. "...and three others." She places her hand gently on the envelope. "I'm afraid all four of you have been let go."
I stare at it. That envelope. Such a small thing. Plain. Ordinary. Yet somehow capable of destroying everything I've been trying so desperately to rebuild.
"No..." The whisper barely leaves my lips. "No..."
This isn't happening. It can't be. I only just got this job. I think of my brother's smile earlier.
The relief in his eyes when I told him I'd paid part of the hospital bills. The way he'd hugged me so tightly I almost couldn't breathe.
I think of Mum. I'm still recovering.
