ACE
I slammed the door to my bedroom harder than necessary.
The sound echoed through the room, sharp and final, but it did nothing to quiet the storm in my head. I stood there for a moment, staring at the darkened space, my chest rising and falling too fast. My hands clenched at my sides, fingers curling like I was still holding onto something I’d just lost.
Lily.
The way she’d pulled her hand from mine replayed on a loop. Not dramatic. Not angry. Just… resolute. Like she’d already made up her mind and was bracing herself for the fallout.
Employer and employee.
The words scraped against something raw inside me.
I dragged a hand down my face and let out a slow breath, pacing the length of the room. Everything Ella had said still rang in my ears—loud, selfish, venomous. She had manage
