The pride Ruby felt after the meeting began to sour, replaced by a dull, throbbing ache behind her eyes. She slumped into her leather chair, pressing her fingertips against her temples.
"I'm sorry, Nancy," she whispered to the empty room, thinking of the hospital's update. The news that Nancy was spiraling into an episode hit her like a physical weight.
I did this to her, she thought, the guilt rising in her throat like bile. She had pulled Nancy into the crossfire, and now the woman was paying the price while Ruby sat safely in a high-rise office.
She reached for her desk phone, her movements sluggish and heavy. "Fred? Bring the car around. I'm heading home."
"Already on it, Mrs. Byron," the driver replied, his voice calm and professional. "I'll be at the entrance in five."
