“Are you sure about this, Penny?” Cate asked worriedly. “I feel like you should come with me.” Penny shook her head vehemently for what felt like the tenth time in that conversation.

“I don’t want to see him again,” she said firmly. “I never realized just how much he’d been manipulating me, Cate. I’m worried if I see his face, my resolve will crumble.”

“You see him at work every day,” her sister reminded her. “How is this any different?”

“It just is,” Penny insisted, but she no longer believed that was true. The night she and Ryland had broken up, she had rushed back to the condo, only to find that Ryland had locked her out by changing the codes. She’d been unable to get inside for any of her stuff. Penny knew he’d done it in the hopes that she’d be there when he got home, fuming and therefore forcing her to speak to him. Once more, however, she had surprised herself by walking away.

She drove directly to her sister’s house and had only left to attend work. Thankfully, she and Cate were roughly the same size, making the need to buy new clothes a secondary concern. And what a blessing that was, since Ryland had cleared out their joint account.

Penny was forced to dip into her well-planned savings, which burned her as deeply as Ryland must have known it would. Still, she couldn't bring herself to call him and demand her portion of the money he’d essentially stolen from her. It was what he wanted, and she would not give him the satisfaction.

The trouble was that, at work, he was making it increasingly impossible for Penny to ignore him. Several times a day, Ryland would strut by her desk, purposely lingering at nearby cubicles, his gaze trained on her. He never overtly spoke to her, as if he knew she might involve human resources if he crossed a line, but that didn’t make his presence any less unnerving to her.

It wasn’t that Penny felt threatened, per se. She just knew that if Ryland kept up with his constant presence, she would eventually be forced to deal with him, and she wasn’t sure how that would go. Her work was suffering, and she found herself distracted for the first time in her life, unable to separate her emotions from her workplace.

She had been considering her options. It had been a week, and Ryland was showing no signs of letting up his covert harassment.

I need to think about finding another job, she thought. Even if I go to HR, they’ll probably side with him. He’s an important guy at Veriday. I’m dispensable. It’ll be a he said, she said, and we’ll probably be told to stay away from one another. But he won’t comply, and I’ll be in the same place, unnerved and complacent.

It bothered Penny endlessly to realize that she had put three years of her life into a company without getting so much as a decent raise out of it, but what other choice did she have? She reasoned that if she hadn’t received a promotion yet, she likely wasn’t in line for one anytime soon. It was better to cut her losses and simply walk away.

“Penny? Are you still with me?” Cate demanded, snapping her fingers in front of her sister’s face. “Are you sure that you don’t want to come with me? What if he doesn’t give me all your stuff?” Penny shrugged, trying to maintain a nonchalant expression on her face.

“It’s only stuff.” Her voice cracked as she thought about the $120 she had just put out on a brand-new set of ceramic dishes. They’d been on her Amazon wish list for almost a year, and now she had no doubt that Ryland had either smashed them or would purposely withhold them. It wouldn’t be the first time he smashed something of mine.

Amid her mounting consternation and unease over the past week, Penny had also been met with visions of blinding clarity. Their relationship hadn’t just been stagnant—it had been unhealthy.

She wondered how she hadn’t seen it before. Had the notion of being alone been so terrible that she was willing to overlook Ryland’s sometimes volatile behavior, the holes punched in walls, and the days of being locked out verbally? Silent treatments, little head games… They had been subtle but real.

“I’ll get everything I can,” Cate promised, her eyes still reflecting the same concern she had from the start. “Just leave it to me.”

Penny was depending on that. It wasn’t that they were physically different, Penny and her dark-haired sister. Cate was also much tougher than her. She looked like their father and took after their mother, while Penny was the opposite.

Cate would never have lived like that for three years, Penny thought. She would have been the one to clear out the apartment and the bank account and walked away. Why didn’t I come to her for help earlier?

It was not the first time Penny had envied her spitfire younger sister, and she doubted it would be the last.

“Penn…”

“Hmm?”

“Are you all right?” The question was almost laughable, but Penny knew Cate was genuinely concerned about her.

“I’m fine,” Penny insisted. “Everything’s fine.”

“You can talk to me,” Cate told her gently. “I won’t judge you, no matter what.”

Penny blinked at her uncomprehendingly. “Judge me?” she repeated. “For what?”

Cate shifted her eyes away, and Penny was filled with a fission of alarm.

“Never mind,” her sister said quickly, grabbing her car keys. “I’ll be back in a few hours, okay? Maybe soak in the hot tub, pour yourself—” She abruptly stopped talking, her face paling. “Uh, maybe make some tea?” she suggested. Penny’s eyes narrowed, and a peculiar sensation began to creep up her neck.

“Why are you talking to me like that?”

“Like what?” Cate asked innocently, but Penny knew her sister well enough to see that she was hiding something.

“Like I’m made of glass. And why can’t I have a drink?”

“Shit,” Cate swore, staring down at her hands. “I promised I wouldn’t say anything.”

“To me?” Penny demanded dubiously. “Promised who?” And suddenly, it hit her at once. “You’ve been talking to Ryland!”

“I had to!” Cate protested indignantly. “You made me call him, remember?”

“So that you could get my stuff, not talk about me behind my back!” Penny cried. “What the hell did he say about me?” What was that maniac doing now? Wasn’t it bad enough that he wouldn’t leave her alone? Now he was dragging her sister into this mess, too?

“Penny, he’s worried about you. This breakup kinda came out of nowhere, didn’t it?” Penny could only stare at Cate in disbelief, the words she wanted to say stuck in her throat.

Out of nowhere? Maybe if you haven’t been paying attention, she thought, though she supposed she understood why Cate saw it that way. Penny had never talked to her family about her personal problems, her need to keep her troubles quiet almost pathological. There was no real reason for Cate to suspect that she was unhappy.

“No, it didn’t,” Penny replied shortly. “But I can see why you might think so.”

Cate twirled her keys nervously in her hand. “Penn, tell me about the drugs,” she sighed, and Penny’s neck stiffened.

“The what?” she choked. “What drugs?”

“You don’t have to hide it from me, babe. We can get you the help you need, and Ryland wants to help you—”

“That son of a bitch!” Penny gasped, laughing in shock. Her eyes were wide, and she stared at her sister. “Is that what he told you? That I’m on drugs?”

“Penny, I love you. We all love you—”

“Goddammit, I can’t believe this.”

Cate gasped at the expletive, her face stunned, but a slow glimmer of absolution began to shine on her face, and Penny knew her fears were confirmed.

“There’s no need to fly off the handle, Penn. I’m your sister. If you need to go to rehab—”

“I’m out of here,” Penny hissed, grabbing for her purse.

“Penny! Where are you going? Please don’t leave!”

Penny wasn’t listening to her anymore, her feet flying across the foyer before the tears of frustration could fall down her cheeks. She made her way toward the driveway as Cate yelled out after her, but she didn’t turn back. She raced out of the cul-de-sac without giving her sister another look, her vision blurred with tears.

How could Cate believe that about her own sister? How could Ryland say that about her? It was becoming clearer and clearer that there was nothing he wouldn’t stoop to in order to hear her voice again.

Maybe I should just— NO! Penny didn’t even allow herself to finish the thought. If she might have considered a civil conversation with Ryland before, that ship had sailed the minute he had started spreading malicious rumors against her. I need to find another job and get away from that psycho before he does any more damage and sends me directly over the edge.

Penny found herself driving almost recklessly through the streets of Houston, disregarding the speed regulations and stop signs. It wasn’t until she was in front of a small, three-story hotel that she finally stopped, her heart still thudding in her chest.

The hotel was called The Ten Gallon Inn, and as Penny ventured from the guest parking lot inside the charming, modern lobby, her eyes registered that it was managed under Parker Properties. She knew the company—Veriday had organized events at other hotels run by the corporation. Idly, Penny wondered if that was how she had ended up there, on the outskirts of Pasadena, looking for a room.

It didn’t matter. All Penny cared about was climbing into bed, putting the covers over her head, and forgetting that her stable, comfortable world was coming apart at the seams before she’d even had time to find a needle and thread.

“Do you have anything available for a week?” she asked the receptionist at the desk, cringing as the words left her mouth. She knew how much that was going to set her back financially, but she didn’t have a choice. Her sister was against her, thanks to Ryland, and Penny was not going to beg Cate to believe her. Their parents lived in Louisiana, but she couldn’t afford to take time off to stay with them.

Why don’t I have any friends to turn to? Oh, that’s right, she recalled, because every time I got close to someone, Ryland would find some major flaw in their character and subtly force me away from them.

Each day, it seemed a new realization would knock the breath from her. Penny knew, though, that she needed to stay strong.

“A week?” the clerk echoed, confirming her words.

“It might be longer,” Penny sighed. Finding a new place to live was not going to be easy when she’d lived in such luxury for so long. The reality of what she could afford without Ryland was bound to be stunning.

“Sure thing, ma’am. ID and a credit card, please.” Penny slid the necessary documentation toward him and waited as he punched in the information. “Here you are,” the man, whose name tag read Jim, told her, handing her a piece of paper to sign. “I’ve set you up in room 319. If you want to extend your stay, just give us a holler.”

Penny couldn’t even manage a smile for him, but she did thank him and accepted the key card.

“Have a nice stay,” Jim called after her. Penny barely heard him. She realized that she would have to go out and find some clothes for work, now that Cate’s closet wasn’t at her disposal anymore.

Her cell rang inside her purse, and she was tempted to ignore it, but she reached for it as she let herself into her room. While it wasn’t fancy, it was clean, with a bed and bathroom, which was all Penny really required. When she looked at the screen of her cell, she realized it hadn’t been ringing at all, but an email notification sat on the lock screen.

Penny fell back onto the bed and blankly stared up at the ceiling.

I’m in trouble, she thought miserably. I’m in trouble, and I have no one to help me.

She’d never felt so alone, so abandoned before. How could Ryland have singlehandedly destroyed her? It seemed insane, and yet that was precisely what had happened.

Penny wasn’t going to let him. She still had a job and some money. She would be back on her feet, and then she would deal with Cate and tell her how betrayed she felt at her siding with him. They were family. They would get over this. Right?

At that moment, Penny wasn’t so sure anything would be all right again.

Slowly, she threw her legs over the side of the bed and rose to stare at herself in the mirror next to the bathroom door. She looked liked she’d aged five years in a week. There were dark circles under her usually brilliant blue eyes, which now seemed to have lost their spark of intelligence. Her hair was limp, lifeless, and Penny grimly decided to take a shower.

I won’t let him beat me down, she said to herself again, and she forced herself to believe it. Without giving herself another moment to wallow, she stripped off her tracksuit and turned on the shower fully, allowing the steam to fill the tiny bathroom.

Stepping inside the acrylic shower, Penny let the heat of the water rain down on her head, washing away the sense of gloom which had followed her for days. She scrubbed her body harder than she ever had before, and when she finally turned off the water, she felt raw, flushed, but somehow more relaxed, like she had managed to dissolve some of her stress down the drain as she’d intended.

Penny wrapped a thin towel around her slender frame, wincing at the reminder of the full, fluffy towels she’d abandoned at Ryland’s condo.

You didn’t abandon them, she reminded herself. Ryland stole those from you. He’s stolen everything from you. Clenching her jaw firmly, she begrudgingly changed into the same clothes she’d been wearing and sighed. She didn’t even have a stick of deodorant with her. She would have to go shopping.

The grumble from her stomach made Penny realize how hungry she was, and she started mentally tallying how much money she had in for everything she needed to do. She hurried out the door before she could change her mind. The transition was costing her much more than she had ever considered.

It wasn’t until she was in her car and driving toward the Crossroads Center mall that she remembered she’d forgotten her cell on the bed in the hotel. Not that it mattered. There was no one she wanted to talk to, anyway.

The mall would be closing in a couple hours, and Penny knew she had to find a few outfits to tide her through the work week without spending a fortune.

She parked and sprinted toward Payless Shoes, her eyes scanning the rows for a comfortable but stylish pair of flats she could match with anything. It didn’t take her long to find what she was looking for, nor did it at the other shops she found. In less than an hour, Penny had equipped herself with three decent outfits, each which could be switched up to create a new ensemble. She’d spent almost a hundred dollars more than she’d allotted for, but she reasoned that, for the peace of mind of getting out of the mall unscathed, it was worth it.

On her way back to the hotel, she stopped at Wendy’s and ate half her fries before finally making her way back into the sanctuary of her room. Not bothering to unpack anything, Penny fell onto the swivel chair at the desk and inhaled her veggie burger, demolishing the rest of her fries without taking time to breathe in between.

Oh, I needed that, Penny thought, taking a long sip of her soda before ambling back toward the bed. She was suddenly insurmountably tired, and she curled up into the pillows, closing her eyes. See? You already feel better. You got this. Just take it one day at a time.

The fire alarm woke Penny from a deep slumber. She hadn’t slept so well since leaving Ryland, and she couldn’t help but feel slightly bemused at the rude awakening.

Of course there are bells waking me out of this sleep, she thought wryly. Why would God grant me any serenity when he’s out to get me these days?

Her smile quickly faded when she realized that it was not the fire alarm going off at all, but the sound of her phone ringing incessantly. Groggily, Penny sat up and reached for it, her eyes slowly adjusting to the sunlight streaming through the window.

Oh, my God! What time is it? I forgot to set my alarm for work! In the blink of an eye, she was wide awake, her gaze bugging as she stared at the screen. It was work.

“Hello?”

“Penelope?” It was her supervisor, Greg.

“Hey,” Penny greeted him.

“Did you not get the email about your meeting with HR this morning?”

She bolted upright and shook her head, even though she knew Greg couldn’t see her. “No…”

“It doesn’t matter now. You’ve missed it. It’s after ten.”

Shit! Penny looked around furiously for something to wear. “I’m on my way in,” she choked. “I-I’m sorry. Something came up.”

“No,” Greg told her flatly. “We were hoping you would be mature enough to handle this like an adult, but instead, you blew off the potential for a resolution. You’re suspended until we can figure out what to do with you, Penelope. Without pay.”

“What?” Penny gasped. “W-why?”

“Maybe if you read your emails, you would understand,” Greg retorted shortly. “We’ll be in touch.” He hung up the phone, and Penny was left staring at the device in her hand.

Did I just get fired?

There was a strange humming in her ears, and Penny was consumed with the feeling that she had floated somewhere else. Abruptly, she heard maniacal laughter in her ears, and it took her several seconds to realize that it was coming from her own mouth.

I just spent three hundred dollars on new clothes for work, and I don’t even have a job. She laughed harder, tears pooling in her eyes as her body shook with near-hysteria. I’m living in a hotel, penniless and jobless.

Hiccups joined the party, and Penny doubled over, gasping for breath until she was sobbing, her face buried in her hands. Her life had been ruined with two simple words: it’s over.

Yes, she thought mournfully. It’s over, but not for Ryland. For me.