But then Mae brushed past her one afternoon, bumping her shoulder—intentionally—and muttered, “We all liked him better when he treated you like the wallflower you are.” Mae tapped the pin on her scrub top and walked off.
Beth didn’t respond. What was there to say?
She’d tried everything she knew to do—tried to be kind—but never in her life had Beth found herself in a situation like this. Thegossip. The stares. The half-smiles with daggers behind them. It was surreal. Beth had once considered many of her co-workers friends. According to the rumors, she had seduced Bryce—poor, golden-boy Bryce—and stolen him off the market. The nurses who had once cautioned her about his playboy ways now acted as ifshehad corrupted him.
No one confronted Beth outright—every jab could be spun as a joke. Every cruel setup, twisted into a misunderstanding. If Beth spoke up, she risked sounding paranoid, too sensitive, or petty.
The one time Bryce tried to address it—calmly, directly—with Crystal, it only made things worse. She played innocent, wide-eyed, wounded. Then, the moment he walked away, she doubled down. It was like handing her a fresh can of gasoline for the flamethrower she had trained on Beth.
In the end, they decided it was better not to engage. They would try to survive until their upcoming time off for the wedding and pray things would blow over by the time they returned.
By the end of her last shift, Beth was running on fumes, caffeine, and prayer.
She hadn’t cried at work in a week—but she was dangerously close to losing it.
After locking herself in the supply closet just to breathe, she managed to hold it together until shift change. Kim was working the oncoming shift, and one look at Beth’s face told the story of her day. Moving to hug her, she stopped when Bethquickly shook her head no.
“I don’t want to cry here,” Beth whispered. “I just want to go home.” Kim squeezed her friend’s fingers.
“Get out of here. I’ll finish up anything you didn’t get done and see you tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” Beth mouthed the words before grabbing her stuff and speed-walking toward the exit.
Once out the door, she jogged to the staff lot, relishing the chance to breathe fresh air. As she reached the edge of the lot, she scanned for her Jeep—and stopped. It was gone.
Her breath caught until memory clicked into place.
She and Bryce had carpooled that morning.
She stopped in the middle of the lot, completely still. The sounds around her—cars pulling out, doors slamming, someone laughing far off—swirled past her like background noise.
Bryce was in a meeting for another hour or two and she didn’t have keys.
Beth stared at the hospital. The thought of going back in through the staff entrance made her physically nauseous. She was torn between the longing to hide and the desire not to cower. Straightening her shoulders, Beth headed for the main entrance.
Most employees didn’t use it. If she walked fast enough, she might make it to Bryce’s office without running into anyone. Two hours. Then she was off for two and a half weeks. Mercifully, the halls were quiet. No Crystal. No stares. Just the steady echo of her footsteps.
She let herself into Bryce’s office—and froze.
Crystal was reclining on his couch. In lingerie.
Beth stared, too stunned to speak.
Crystal stood slowly, hands smoothing her hair as she feigned surprise and just the right amount of embarrassment.
“Oh, Beth, honey! I’m so sorry you had to find out this way! I thought you’d gone home,” she cooed.
“Find out?” Beth repeated, still stunned.
“Yes—aboutBrycieand me,” Crystal said, syrupy sweet. “I told him hooking up in here was too risky, but you know how he loves a thrill. He’s in the bathroom getting dressed.” She sighed, placing a hand on her chest. “You poor thing. I’ll tell him you want to talk at home. No need for drama here at work.”
She stepped forward, arms open, like she meant to hug Beth or usher her out the door.
Beth raised a hand, halting her.
“Do. Not. Touch. Me.”
She didn’t raise her voice, but the words cracked like a whip and Crystal froze.
