Page 112 of Keep Your Friends Close and Your… Work Enemy Closer?

The next day at work, I knew what I had to do. But knowing and actually doing were two very different things.

So I spent the day doing something I normally never did.

Procrastinating.

Minute after minute, hour after hour, dread built in my stomach, an eerily familiar feeling these days, made especially worse the longer I waited.

It was Friday. So if I didn't do something about it today, I'd have to worry all fucking weekend, and by the time Monday came around, I might have landed myself in the hospital with an anxiety attack.

My gut made strange, ominous noises as I tried to work. Tried and failed. Time and time again.

It was like when you were reading, but found yourself preoccupied, going over the same paragraph repeatedly, not really comprehending what it was saying.

Mona encouraged me to just do it, get it over with, keep moving forward with the plan, sending me inspirational texts all day. Bless her heart, it did help.

But I was the one who had to face the music. I'd created this mess, and I had to take full responsibility, no matter the stakes. And the stakes felt oh so incredibly high right now. EverythingI'd worked for and wanted from this subterfuge could potentially come crashing down on me in a heartbeat.

Toward the end of the day, with quite a few people already filtering out, I looked toward Veronica's office. No one was in there with her. She was all alone. Now would be the time.

Fuck it. I deserved whatever was coming to me.

Standing up, I caught Mona's eye from across the room, and we exchanged a significant glance. She gave me a nod and a smile, as if to say, "You can do this" and "I got your back" at the same time.

My stomach gurgled, but I ignored it, giving myself an internal pep talk that whatever happened, I could handle it, something Mona had said the night before repeatedly.

I had to do this. I couldn't keep living a double life. If I didn't put an end to it now, I'd just keep getting deeper and deeper into it until it all blew up in my face. I had no choice really.

Taking a deep breath, I knocked on Veronica's door which was already slightly ajar. She glanced up immediately and smiled slightly when she saw me. "Come on in, Cordelia."

Shit. This was so damn hard.

"Hi. Sorry for bothering you."

"No problem. Take a seat."

Looking at the beautiful view behind her, I tried to take solace in the iconic skyline of Manhattan, something that I normally admired. But it did no good, because now she was crossing her arms on her desk and leaning forward, an expectant look on her face.

"What can I do for you?" she asked. "Is everything going okay with the Venus project?"

"Yes. Yes, actually, it is."

"Good."

There was an awkward pause as she waited for me to say what was on my mind. Maybe I could just make something up andthen run for it, not admit this at all. Now was my chance to save myself.

"Is there something else?" she prompted.

Oh, God. This was awful. I'd have nightmares forever about this very moment, especially because there was no good way to say it, despite how many times Mona and I had discussed it.

Veronica raised a brow, and I knew I was testing her patience.

"So..." I started, "I have something to tell you. And there's just... well, it's really hard to tell you."

My boss was not exactly the motherly type. My own mother wasn't exactly the motherly type, not that that had anything to do with this situation. But Veronica offered no trite reassurances or warm smiles to encourage me, only narrowed her eyes at me.

"Okay," she said a bit warily.

I inhaled deeply and blew it out.On with it, Annalise. Get it the hell over with.

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