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the receiver.

    “Hello?” she said. Her voice came out thick with sleep and breathless from the brief sprint.

    “Serenity?”

    Her heart dropped with disappointment. The voice didn’t belong to Sebastian but to her ex-boss.

    “Yes, Peter,” she cleared her throat. “I’m here.”

    “I’m sorry to call you so early,” his voice came through the receiver, not sounding the slightest bit apologetic. Serenity flicked a glance at the clock on the DVD player. Almost eight-thirty.

    “I’m glad I caught you before you went out,” he continued.

    “I don’t have anywhere to go now, Peter,” she reminded him. “You made sure of that.”

    There was an uncomfortable silence from the other end and a smiled touched her lips, pleased she’d made him feel awkward.

    “I take it you’re not calling to offer me my job back.”

    “I’m sorry, Serenity, office protocol. You were on your third warning.”

    Fuck your protocol, she wanted to say, but held her tongue.

    “What can I do for you, Peter?” she said instead. “I’m assuming this isn’t a courtesy call.”

    “I need you to come in and clear your desk out. You left some things.”

    “Throw them out,” she told him. She didn’t care about the photograph, box of tissues and hand cream on her desk.

    “We can’t do that. It’s office...”

    “Protocol,” she finished for him. “How did I guess?”

    He sighed as if she was the one putting him out. If he’d been in the room with her, she would have throttled him for the sound.

    “Just come in when you can,” he finished.

    Serenity hung up the phone without bothering to say goodbye. As if she didn’t have enough on her plate. She wanted to ignore the request, but didn’t want him calling back when Jackson was home. She didn’t want to imagine how that conversation would go.

    Her legs gave way and she sank down on the sofa. She didn’t normally sleep so late. Usually she’d be well on her way to work by now and Jackson would be the one sitting on the couch, but the late night had taken its toll. She needed to get to the hospital. Hopefully Jackson had taken a turn for the worse during the night and the doctors had decided to keep him in a bit longer.

    Guilt jarred through her at the thought. When had she become such a bitter person?

    He’s done that to you. Made you what you are today.

    Except that wasn’t the whole truth. Jackson had certainly played his part, but she’d been dealt many bad cards in her life. Her husband was simply the latest. Feeling sorry for herself didn’t help anyone. She’d rather be stronger, a better person than she’d become.

    Sebastian made her want that.

    Serenity forced herself to her feet and climbed the stairs to the bathroom. She needed to go to the office and pick up her things before collecting Jackson from the hospital.

    In the bathroom, she turned on the shower faucet. Water gushed into the tub, spraying her with a cold fine mist. The boiler kicked into life and the water warmed until steam clouded the room. She slipped out of her underwear and stood naked in front of the mirror.

    Steam covered the glass, her reflection a distorted blob. She wiped her palm across the mirror causing beads of condensation to run down the surface. Her reflection peered back; unworthy and untrusting. Serenity didn’t think she was ugly, not on the outside. Inwardly, she felt like a failure. She couldn’t see what drew Sebastian, though she couldn’t deny the attraction. The possibility that he saw something in her made Serenity pause and look at herself in a way she’d never been able to before.

    Was it possible for her to have another life? Did she deserve something more than this?

    She stepped into the shower, wincing as the hot water hit her skin. Her body adjusted to the heat and she immersed herself in the water like a baptism.

    Sebastian, Sebastian, Sebastian.

    She ran his name over and over in her mind as scalding water coursed down her body.