Replaced By A Lie, Forged By Truth

bother to lower his voice. He turned to a colleague stan

iller's transition. She'll be joining... what's it called again?" He tapped his chin in mock thought. "Oh

d eagerly, shooting me a look of pity mixed with contempt. The whispers started

o Alex and fled, my heels clicking loudly on the marble floor. I didn't stop until

m, into us, vanished. A wave of pain, so intense it made my knees weak, washed over me. It wasn't just the love that

ketches spread all over the floor. I had just finished the initial design concept f

oked at the sketches, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Sarah, this is

nd kissed me. "We're going to buil

sking questions, always complimenting my work. "I could never come up with s

to "just focus on the core design" while he had Emily "handle the presentation slides." Mark taking my concepts to a meeting but "forgetting" to mention my

a placeholder. The promise of "you and me" was a lie he'd bee

he relationship wasn't just broken, it had been a carefully constructed

away wet with mascara. I looked at my reflection in the polished chrome of the toilet paper dispenser. M

d not b

ment tonight, pack my things, and leave. I would start my new job at the dead-end startup. I would cut Mark Dav