Break up and wake up

I caught my boss, Mark, and his secretary, Ashley, feeding each other Peking duck—or, well, the American equivalent, barbecue ribs. Afterwards, Ashley, flushed, slipped me a fat envelope. "Hush money," she whispered. "Don't worry, when I'm Mrs. CEO, you'll get a raise." I slipped off my wedding ring behind my back and wished her the best of luck. That night, Mark stared at the bare ring mark on my finger. "Where's your ring?" he asked. I thought for a moment. "Maybe… down the toilet?"

The next day, Mark didn’t give me my usual ride to the subway station. After hearing about my “lost” ring last night, he'd left without a word. I figured he was with Ashley. She was undeniably eye-catching. Before her, his assistants had all been men – crew cuts, dark suits, looking like they’d just been released from prison. Now, he seemed to have forgotten all his pre-marital promises. Not only did he have a female assistant, but she was constantly by his side.

I walked two blocks out of my gated community before I found a Bird scooter. I barely made it to the office on time, preserving my perfect attendance record. But the atmosphere was off. As I swiped my badge, ready to start answering customer service calls, I saw my supervisor, John, marching towards the elevator with a brand new plunger. Half the desks were empty. A gossipy coworker leaned in. "All the women's restrooms in the building are out of order. You'll have to use the ones in the next building. Apparently, the boss lost a ring and they’re dredging the toilets!"

It hit me like a ton of bricks. Last night, Mark had asked, "Which toilet?" I'd blurted out, "Seventh floor, second stall on the left." He'd scowled and muttered, "Why didn't you go down with it?" before storming off.

My coworker giggled. "Ashley, in her fancy suit, is fishing around in the toilets too!" I sat up straighter, my hand instinctively going to the envelope in my pocket. Ashley, all seductive last night, had handed it to me with a condescending smile. "Here’s your little bonus," she’d purred. Glancing at my name tag, she’d added, "Susan, right? Don’t you worry. When I'm Mrs. CEO, I’ll make sure you get a raise.” Well, I, the current Mrs. CEO, didn't even have that kind of authority.

The day before, John had given me another hard time. As everyone else left on the dot, he’d asked me to compile all the customer complaints into a report. The data was already in the system, but he insisted on a printed copy. Seeing my hesitation, he’d leaned in with a smirk. "There's a new bar opening this Friday. Join me for a drink or two?" Thinking of the security system Mark had installed, specifically to keep me in, I refused again. His face fell. "Have it done tonight. I need it for tomorrow's meeting."

As luck would have it, the printer malfunctioned. I finally finished the report late at night. I took the elevator to the 22nd floor, hoping to catch a ride home with Mark. His office door was slightly ajar, light spilling into the hallway. ...