Esther said, "How can you say that, Lucia? I know my limitations, but I have no bad intentions."
I replied coldly, "Save your tears for the courtroom to see if they might reduce your sentence. Also, you haven't been officially promoted yet. I will report your behavior to headquarters."
In my previous life, Esther's slander destroyed my career and broke my family.
This time, I was ready to strike first and reclaim what I had lost.
Esther wept dramatically, pretending to faint in Hector's arms.
"Lucia, you've gone too far."
"Esther is still young. Can't you give her some slack?"
Several colleagues gathered, blaming me.
That was ridiculous.
We had worked together for years, pulling all-nighters, inspecting sites under the sun, and sharing celebratory meals.
I also helped them a lot with many things.
Yet, all these years of friendship meant less than an intern's petty words.
I chose not to argue and turned to leave.
Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my back. Touching it, I realized my back was badly injured while trying to save someone.
I had been too tense to notice before, but now, the pain overwhelmed me.
I could barely stand and intended to see a doctor.