“You believe her?” I asked, a tear escaping and slipping down my cheek.

“I have to protect the company,” he said, though his eyes flickered with a brief flash of pain. “And I have to follow protocol.”

He took a deep breath, looking past me toward the hallway.

“Effective immediately, you are suspended from your internship pending a full internal investigation.”

The words felt like a physical blow.

“Your lab access is revoked,” Andrew continued, his voice steady but hollow. “You will pack your personal belongings and leave the building.”

Victoria crossed her arms, watching me with pure satisfaction.

“Security will escort you to the lobby,” she added.

I looked at Andrew one last time, hoping he would say something else, but he turned his back to me again.

My hands shook as I reached for my lab coat and pulled it off, draping it over the back of a stool.

I grabbed my purse from the under-bench locker.

Every step out of the laboratory felt like walking through wet cement.

When I reached the heavy glass doors of the lobby, the security guard on duty was already waiting for me.