I looked at the three men sitting across from me, their faces completely blank, devoid of any sympathy.

My hand went slowly to the lanyard around my neck.

Before I could unclip it, the heavy oak door to the boardroom clicked and began to swing open.

Mara Singh stood in the doorway, her green scrubs stained with water from the scrub sink.

She looked at Arthur, then at Sterling, and finally at me.

“You cannot do this, Arthur,” Mara said, her voice steady but sharp.

“Dr. Singh, this is a private executive session,” Sterling said, adjusting his glasses.

“I don’t care,” Mara said, stepping fully into the room and letting the heavy door click shut behind her. “You are sideline-ing the best trauma surgeon and chief this department has ever had because of a domestic assault where she was the victim.”

Arthur sighed, rubbing his temples.

“The decision has been made, Mara,” Arthur said. “And as of this moment, you are the acting Chief of Medicine.”

Mara froze, her gaze shifting to me.

I looked down at the table, my fingers tracing the raised plastic edges of my hospital ID.