No Ring, No Mercy, Just Win

Synopsis

Three months after I started my new job, I found out my coworkers were calling me "old hag" behind my back. The nickname started with Johnny's secretary, the one who always had her nose in the air. I was 32, still holding on to the remnants of an eight-year relationship, but that elusive marriage license was nowhere in sight. I asked Johnny directly, "Do you know your secretary calls me 'old hag' behind my back?" He didn't even look up from his desk. "Samantha says everything that comes into her head. She was joking. You're 32. Why let a young girl's words get to you?" Then he looked at me and chuckled. "You know what? It actually suits you." It felt like a shard of ice had pierced my chest. We had eight years of shared moments, but to him, it was just a form of entertainment. I turned around, quit on the spot, and blocked him everywhere. But Johnny, the always composed man, suddenly panicked. "Stella, please come back," he begged.