Benjamin looked at me with eager anticipation, like a puppy waiting for a pat from its owner. His eyes were wide, filled with hope as he waited for my reaction. But I remained still, my face an impassive mask, not giving him the satisfaction of engaging with his clumsy attempts at charm.

“Alright,” he said with a sigh, “I suppose the sedatives haven't worn off completely, so I'll just show you.” He moved the object he had been hiding behind his back onto the bed. It was a pair of tickets to a dance theater.

“Your favorite indie band is going on tour and they'll be in town next month. I know how much you love them, so I camped out on the website for days to get these tickets. You’re the most important person to me, Cora. If this doesn’t show how much I care about you, I don’t know what will.”

I remembered that the tickets had gone on sale only the night before. It was clearly a last-minute effort, his minimal attempt to calm my anger. He kissed my forehead and gently said, “Let’s go see them when you’re better.” 

The room was so silent it felt like the world had stopped spinning, the kind of quiet where even the tiniest noise—a pin dropping, for example—would have seemed deafening. Benjamin’s eyes were locked onto me with such intensity, it felt like there was nothing else in the world but me and him. He was completely absorbed in the moment, his gaze unwavering and filled with an almost desperate hope.

Seizing the opportunity, I slowly raised my hand, pretending to gently stroke his cheek as if offering some sort of tender gesture. His eyes sparkled with anticipation and he eagerly leaned in closer, like a well-trained puppy responding to a command.

Then, with a swift motion, I brought my hand down hard. The sharp crack of skin meeting skin echoed through the stillness, a stinging slap that left five bright red fingerprints blazing across his once-perfect face. The impact was so sudden and loud that it seemed to shatter the silence around us. Benjamin’s expression froze in shock, his face marked with the bright red imprints of my hand. He blinked, momentarily stunned, before his face flushed with a mix of rage and confusion. “What the—what is wrong with you?” he shouted, his voice trembling with anger. I met his fury with a cold, unyielding stare, showing no hint of remorse for the scorn I had delivered.

“You’re disgusting! With your skill at distorting the truth, turning black into white and being duplicitous, you’d be a perfect lawyer.” I continued, my anger simmering.  “Do you think two concert tickets will erase the fact that you’ve wronged me? Do you think I’m a fool? Just wait for your invitation to the police station.” My gaze remained cold and unyielding as I continued, “You said it’s for my own good, but it’s actually you blinded by lust, isn’t it? You’re trying to curry favor with the manager, you’re selling me out, using me as a stepping stone so you can climb higher. You’re a complete asshole!” 

I still have a lot of pent-up frustrations, so I might as well let them all out. “And to think that the manager will make things difficult for me, that's ridiculous. Do you really think my whole career could be wrecked by a few words from some lazy girl like her? Like I’m just goofing off and not busting my butt to get where I am now? Do you think that the department head is that dumb, that you see him as a person with such shallow mindset? You disappoint me, Ben.” Benjamin was utterly battered by my relentless barrage of accusations, struggling to find the right words. 

“Is that how you see me? You think I’m using and manipulating you?” His voice wavered with a helpless edge, a stark departure from his usual composed demeanor. He looked at me with eyes wide and pleading, trying to grasp for any shred of sympathy. But I couldn't muster any. To me, his words felt hollow, just more empty reassurances in a sea of broken promises. I had something more pressing on my mind, something that demanded my attention. Without giving his desperate pleas a second thought, I cut him off with a commanding tone. “Give me my medical record.”

The first time I realized how badly I was hurt, everything went into total chaos. People were running around everywhere and the whole place was buzzing with panic. As I was being wheeled into the operating room, the doctor quickly told Benjamin to hang onto my medical record. 

The moment I said it, Benjamin’s face turned sharply. The usual confidence that defined him was replaced with a visible mix of embarrassment and anxiety. He fumbled with the papers, his hands shaking slightly as he tried to hide his growing unease. Watching his reaction, my heart skipped a beat. A deep, unsettling feeling settled in my stomach. Something was definitely wrong and his nervousness only made the sense of impending trouble even stronger.

The prognosis was bleak. The nerve damage was so extensive that I couldn't move my hand at all for the time being and there was a significant chance it might never regain its full range of motion. I stared at the medical report, each word clear, yet the full scope of the situation seemed to elude me. I was so engrossed in the report that I didn't notice when Benjamin quietly left the room. It was only when I finally set the medical record aside that I realized I was alone. The once-bustling hospital room had fallen eerily silent, overwhelmed by a deep sense of confusion and isolation that seemed to close in on me.

“How is she? Is she ok- What happened to your face?” Rachel’s voice, filled with shock, cut through the silence from outside the door.

Benjamin took a deep breath before responding in his usual calm and measured tone. “It’s fine. Cora’s upset about her injury and she vented out a bit. Nothing I can’t manage.” 

“Just because she’s injured, doesn’t justify her for taking her anger out on you. Hitting you on the face, of all places. How can you show up looking like that? It’s outrageous!”

Benjamin sighed, clearly trying to keep his composure. “Her mood is just a little messy right now. She’ll get over it in a few days. Let’s not provoke her further.”

Rachel, still fuming, shot back, “What? Am I just supposed to sit here and watch her walk all over you? She’s—”

“That’s not what I meant,” Benjamin interrupted gently. “You’ve been here for hours. You should get some rest. With Cora out, your team will need you. Don’t let this delay your work.”

Rachel’s frustration seemed to waver, her expression softening as she tried to regain her composure. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle things while Cora’s away,” she said, her voice tinged with reluctant determination.

Unable to endure the tension any longer, I threw open the door to the hospital room. 

“This is a hospital. If you’re going to gossip, do it somewhere else!” I snapped, my voice echoing off the sterile walls. With that, I slammed the door shut, the force of it reverberating through the hallway. Benjamin and Rachel stared at each other in stunned silence, the abruptness of my outburst hanging heavily in the air.

I returned to my bed with a weary sigh, feeling the weight of the day’s events settle over me. As I lay back and closed my eyes, the exhaustion overcame me and I drifted off to sleep.

Benjamin and I grew up together; we were childhood friends who knew each other's families well. I was aware of his family’s financial struggles, which drove his relentless pursuit of success. Yet, he never let on about his hardships, always maintaining a façade of gentleness and grace.

He was relentless in overcoming any obstacle in his path and I once believed that I was an exception to his ruthless ambition. But now, I saw him for who he truly was. Even if his selfishness wasn’t deliberate, someone like him—so blind to the needs of others—didn’t deserve my love. 

As someone who relied on my hands for my career, what would become of me now that they were ruined? Benjamin had destroyed my career, yet he treated it as a minor issue, trying to shirk responsibility. He caused me great harm, so I reported him to the police. He was detained for only half a month and had to pay a small bail. My parents traveled from our hometown to support me, their faces etched with heartbreak when they saw me. Their disappointment was palpable as they shook their heads, their silence speaking volumes.

“I can’t believe he did this to you. We always thought he was a good man, even treated him like a son,” my dad said, his face stern. “If he ever shows up again, I’m going to make him regret it.”

“I’m so sorry this happened to you, honey,” my mom said, her concern evident as she gently caressed my face.

The week I spent in the hospital felt like a blur of sterile white walls and endless medical procedures. When I finally returned to work a month later, it was with a mix of relief and trepidation. The physical demands of my job had been replaced by the mental grind of catching up and managing my rehabilitation.

Benjamin seemed unaffected by the incident. To my dismay, I learned that the manager had even spoken up for him, defending his actions as unintentional. The company’s operations continued smoothly, as if my brief disruption hadn't made a dent. One day, as I returned from upstairs with a report, the usually quiet lab was in an uproar.

“If you’re so pissed about it, don’t take it out on me! It’s not my fault. I have a lot of things to do and none of them are easy. If the clumsy Cora hadn’t had that accident and left a mess for me to clean up and if she hadn’t insisted on sending Benjamin to jail, everything would be fine. There wouldn’t have been any project delays and we wouldn’t be in this chaos. This is a group project and I’m not the only one to blame here. If I ever hear that this gets to the manager’s table, I’ll show you what I can do to end your career!”

Rachel’s commanding speech, full of self-righteous indignation, initially seemed reasonable and caused the other two girls to fall silent. Rachel strutted away victoriously, her head held high. As she turned her back, I quickly stepped in front of her.

“What did you say? Do you know that I can sue you for defamation?” 

“You haven’t forgotten why I was injured, have you?” I asked coldly. “Benjamin is in jail because of you. Do you still think you’re some kind of saint? Any normal person who had caused such harm would be so overwhelmed with guilt they’d barely be able to eat. Yet here you are, stirring up trouble.”

With me standing between Rachel and the girls who were arguing with her, their expressions shifted. Unwilling to concede defeat, the second girl, Aria, retorted, “Even if what you say is true, you should think about the company. You’ve been an intern for quite a while. How many projects have been delayed because you’re not doing your job and always making fuss and how much has it cost the company?”

I smiled at her smart comeback. I glanced at the drawer near me and broke into a wide grin. Rachel stared at me in confusion as I walked toward the table beside her and opened the drawer. I kept a smile on my face while reaching for one of her hands and placing it gently on the table, then took out a pair of scissors. I lifted them high and drove them down forcefully. My expression was calm and devoid of aggression and everything happened in a flash. No one had time to react.

The sharp, piercing scream reverberated through the lab. Rachel’s tears flowed instantly, her makeup smudged beyond recognition. The scissors stopped just one centimeter above her palm. I remained composed while returning her words.

“If the scissors had gone a few inches lower, would you still keep this from the manager’s table?”

Rachel trembled, frozen in fear. Her eyes, the only part of her body still moving, were teary and burning with hatred as they locked onto me, as if she wanted to devour me.

Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced through my right shoulder, causing my body to lurch sideways. My balance faltered and I stumbled, slamming my lower back into the corner of the table. The impact made me gasp in agony, the pain radiating through my spine.

As I struggled to regain my composure, my eyes met the scene unfolding before me. Benjamin was standing beside Rachel, his hand gripping her shoulder with a protective urgency. His face was flushed with a mix of anger and concern, his eyes blazing with a fierce intensity.

“Cora, there’s a limit to what you can joke about. I could even hear the commotion from outside. Look at her! You’ve made her cry. This isn’t a joke; it’s workplace bullying!” He paused for a moment before continuing,

“If you have a problem with me, then come at me. Don’t take out your anger on an innocent girl. She has nothing to do with this.”

As he spoke, his grip on Rachel’s shoulder tightened, a protective shield against the scene that had erupted around us. The room was filled with a tense silence, broken only by the muted sounds of Rachel’s sobs and Benjamin's resolute declarations.