Courtney shut the office bathroom door behind her and leaned against the sink, gripping the porcelain so tightly her knuckles whitened. She stared at her reflection in the mirror: cheeks flushed, eyes rimmed red, chest rising and falling too quickly.
Pull yourself together, she told herself. But her throat still burned from the humiliation of Dwayne's words echoing across the open floor.
She hated that everyone had seen it. She hated that Sean had witnessed it most of all. And she hated, more than anything, that a part of her wanted Dwayne to follow her, to apologize, to admit that his cruelty was nothing more than jealousy he couldn't name.
The door creaked open.
It wasn't Dwayne.
It was Sean.
"Hey," he said softly, closing the door behind him. His presence was steadying in a way that made her knees tremble. "You okay?"
Courtney turned away, dabbing at the corner of her eye with a tissue. "I'm fine."
