Chapter 2: Fighting Back

The accusation jolted me into action. I slammed my hand on the counter, the smack echoing across the tiled floor, stinging my palm and snapping the entire office to attention. A hush fell over the room, broken only by the faint whir of the number ticket machine and the startled rustle of a magazine from someone nearby.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Where did you get this garbage? You owe us an explanation—right now!" My voice cracked, but I stood tall, fighting the urge to shrink under everyone’s stare.

Derek, my fiancé, jumped up behind me, his jaw tight and his hand pressing reassuringly against my back. "I’m her first love! There’s no way she’s been married before. That’s a flat-out lie. You can’t just say stuff like that and get away with it. We’ll make sure you answer for this."

He squared up behind me, his warmth a shield, voice thick with anger and disbelief. I caught the glint of Tanya’s black plastic nametag as she coolly met my glare, her eyes holding a challenge.

Feigning surprise, Tanya brought her hand to her mouth in a mock gasp, but her eyes were dancing. "Oh, my bad. Must’ve mixed up the files. You know how these old systems are."

Her apology dripped with insincerity. I could see right through her. She pouted, muttering just loud enough for us to hear, "Guess you really didn’t know... Otherwise, how could this be..."

Her words hung in the air, thick with implication. I could feel sweat prickle at my neck, every muscle wound tight.

She flashed a plastic customer-service smile, all teeth and no warmth. "Sorry, Miss Reed, but that’s exactly what the system shows. Is there a problem?"

I yanked her computer screen toward me, the plastic scraping against the desk, nearly sending her mouse tumbling. "Let me see. If there’s a single word that doesn’t match, you’ll apologize right here and leave."

She looked caught, but I was already scanning the display. It was clear: never married. Relief surged, but before I could say anything, I caught the flick of her foot beneath the desk.

The screen snapped to black. Tanya had kicked the power strip.

"Oops, sorry, Miss Reed." She shrugged, not even bothering to hide her smirk. "Power outage. Guess the universe is looking out for you, huh?"

She gave a half-laugh, like she’d just unplugged a lamp at a sleepover. The office buzzed with an uncomfortable energy, as everyone pretended not to stare.