Terminated for attending my mother’s funeral.” After five years of loyalty, I was fired by email while still grieving.

the jaw, with the practiced look of a man who believed consequences belonged to other people.

“This could have been more discreet, Claire,” he said.

I looked up slowly.

“Discreet?”

He lowered his voice. “You made it uncomfortable for the team. HR sent the notice. It wasn’t personal.”

Something inside me became very still.

Not empty. Not shattered.

Still.

I continue reading …