Page 74 of Their Arrangement

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I turned back.

Arms crossed over my chest.

He didn’t look away.

“You can breathe now,” he said.

“I don’t think I can.”

His expression shifted.

Not pity.

Not sympathy.

Understanding.

“They think you want it,” he said.

I froze.

He didn’t clarify.

“Doyou?”he asked.

I didn’t answer. Because I didn’t know. Because part of me had wanted it. And part of me hated every second. He leaned forward—not close, not cruel. Just enough to tie the ribbon again.

Loose.

Gentle.

Then he stood.

And his voice changed.

Colder.

“Then stop crying in places they can’t see.”

He walked out.

Left me in the stall.

Still in the corset. Still not sure what the fuck I wanted. I didn’t look at myself in the mirror. Didn’t want to see my face. Didn’t want to see the ribbon. Still tied.

But looser.

A knot someone else had tied for me.

The hallway was colder. Or maybe I was. My heels echoed too loud. Every step felt like a confession. A woman looked at the bow at my throat and smirked. Another glanced at my skirt.

I kept walking.

The ribbon pressed between my shoulder blades like a finger. When I reached my desk, my screen was black.

Spreadsheet gone.

And on the keyboard?—

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