Chapter 102

Claire's POV The morning had started with such promise. After the tender night in Theo's arms, I'd felt fortified enough to face whatever remained of yesterday's gossip. But as I settled into my lab, pulling up my research files and adjusting my microscope, I realized how naive that hope had been. The whispers followed me through every corridor like persistent shadows. Colleagues who had barely acknowledged my existence before now watched me with the hungry fascination of spectators at a car wreck. I caught fragments of conversations that died abruptly when I passed—words like "desperate," "opportunistic," and "shameless" floating in the air like toxic smoke. By mid-morning, I discovered just how much worse things had become. "Did you see the new photos?" I overheard Suki from accounting whisper to her cubicle neighbor, her voice carrying just enough volume to ensure I heard every word. "She's not even trying to hide it anymore." My blood turned to ice water in my veins. New photos? Wi