Page 120 of The Surrender

I nod and stand, my mind bending, leaving Gary in the conference room. I’m raging. And the control I was fighting to keep escapes me, my unstable emotions letting me down. I stalk to Leighton’s office and burst in on him. “You fucking snake,” I hiss.

He does a terrible job of hiding his smirk, sitting back in his chair casually. “I’m sorry, what?”

“You know what.” I walk towards his desk, my fists bunched. “How did you know I was seeing Jude Harrison?”

“Oh, you’re seeing him?”

“Was,” I reiterate. “Briefly.”

“Oh, you broke up?”

“How did you know?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Sure.” I place my palm on his desk and lean over it. My move seems to increase his amusement, therefore increase my fury. God, I’d love to smash his face into the wood. “You’re a sad, desperate creep, Leighton Steers.”

“Ouchy,” he says, pouting.

“Go fuck yourself.”

“Ouchy, ouchy.”

I push myself up and leave before I follow through on my desire to cause him physical pain, my emotions needing an outlet desperately.

“Is someone on their period?” he calls, making my heels skid to a stop.

“Fuc—” My mouth snaps shut.

My period.

My stomach turns when my heart drops into it, my mind frantically working through the dates. I’m suddenly cold. So fucking cold. “Off,” I whisper.

“And good to see you got your fancy new car repaired.”

I exhale sharply, staring forward, another bombshell getting me. I look over my shoulder at him. “You?”

“Me, what?” he muses, kicking his leg up on his knee, reclining back.

Gold digger.But, crazily, I have something more important to deal with than Leighton and my vandalised car.

My period.

“I hope you’re happy,” I say, picking up my heavy feet and walking back to my office. I get to my desk, pulling my calendar up, and count back to my last period. Twice. Three times. “Shit,” I breathe, counting again, hoping by some miracle I’ve miscalculated by a week. “No, no, no.”

I’m a week late.

I grab my handbag and pull my makeup bag out, searching for my pills. My hands land on a pen.

I’ve got you. Jude xxx

Swallowing down the lump in my throat, I toss it aside and find my pills, counting through the empty holes in the foil. “No,” I whisper when I discover two more pills than I should have. I drop the packet on my desk and stare at them.

This can’t be happening.

Chapter 25

They’re not, but paranoia—and maybe the anxiety too—is making me feel like everyone in the pharmacy is looking at me. I smile tightly at the lady as she places the box on the counter. “Thank you.”