Like being chased by a ghost , Maria raced through the road after crossing it , heading straight inside her office building and picking up her pace from walking to running , past the elevator . She jogged through the stairs , her heart drumming loudly in her ears , tuning down every other sound around her . Her throat ran dry from the open-mouth breathing as she kept running upstairs , her confrontation with Anthony replayed in her head , over and over . And each time the gravity of her situation tightened its tentacles around her chest .
She stopped gasping for air , holding her knees like someone had punched her in the gut from the inside. Sweat beads from her forehead dripped down her nose, falling on the ground , her eyes teary from the suppressed anger , “FU*K YOU ASSH*LE !” her voi
