The office felt unusually tense that morning, as though the air itself had thickened overnight. Caro hadn't even reached her desk when she heard the whispers start again, low voices cutting off the moment she passed. She forced herself to keep walking, but her chest tightened when one of them said her name clearly this time, followed by a quiet, "That's her… the one in the articles."
Caro stopped at her desk and placed her bag down slowly, refusing to look in their direction. "Just ignore them," she whispered to herself, though her voice lacked conviction. Her phone vibrated immediately after, and the moment she saw the notification, her breath caught. "They've started again…" she murmured under her breath.
