The office looked exactly the same, and yet it felt different. As Katherine returned to her desk after lunch, a heaviness lingered in the air, like the fading scent of perfume that no one wanted to admit still clung to the walls. Nothing physically had changed, and yet the woman's visit had left a chill that refused to dissipate.
Katherine tried to focus, tapping her fingers gently against her keyboard, willing the fog in her head to clear. But the screen blurred. All she could see was Lara's smug smile, the way she tilted her chin so slightly, like Katherine was something unworthy, something that didn't belong in her world.
"Get a grip," Katherine whispered to herself, forcing her gaze back on the blinking cursor. But it was no use. Her fingers hovered uselessly over the keys. The words wouldn't come.
She sighed and stood. Maybe checking on the twins would distract her.