The quiet spread outward. Darren looked around, realizing too late that the conversation was no longer private. “Claire, don’t do this here.” She almost laughed. He had humiliated her in front of everyone, but the truth was apparently meant to happen in a corner.
Vivian’s voice stayed professional. “Darren, we’ll discuss this formally on Monday.” “That’s not fair,” he said quickly. “She’s my wife. We talk about work. Maybe she picked up some ideas from me.” Claire looked at him then, really looked at him. The man she had coached before interviews. The man whose confidence she had built piece by piece. The man who had called her useless because he thought she would always stay quiet.
“No, Darren,” she said. “For years, you picked up ideas from me.” His face hardened. “You’re overreacting.” Claire turned to Vivian instead. “I don’t want drama. I want my work credited correctly.” Vivian nodded. “That seems more than reasonable.” Darren stared at his boss, then at Claire, as if waiting for someone to return the world to normal. But normal had been built on Claire’s silence. And she was done giving it away.