Sinful Alliance

Chapter 17

The biting chill of the morning air nipped at Sarah's face as she pushed open the heavy glass door to the newspaper office. She clutched a worn leather bag, filled with her personal belongings, close to her chest as if it were a shield against the storm of emotions brewing inside her. Grief and guilt gnawed at her soul, threatening to break through the remaining shards of her once-strong exterior.

"Morning, Sarah," called out Jeremy from across the room, his voice echoing off the high ceilings of the bustling newsroom. Sarah managed a weak smile in response, feeling the weight of her recent decisions bearing down on her like an invisible burden.

As she navigated the maze of desks and scattered papers, her eyes darted around the room, searching for familiarity in the faces of her colleagues. Some smiled and waved, while others seemed to avoid her gaze, their expressions tinged with a mix of pity and curiosity. Had word of her involvement with Dominic already spread through the grapevine, or was she just projecting her own feelings onto them?

"Hey, Sarah," Anna said, appearing by her side like a steady rock amidst the chaos. "How are you holding up?"

"About as well as you'd expect," Sarah admitted, her voice breaking slightly.

"Take it one step at a time, okay?" Anna offered, squeezing her friend's arm reassuringly. For a brief moment, Sarah allowed herself to lean into that comfort, but the ghosts of her past actions loomed large, casting a dark shadow over her thoughts.

"Thanks, Anna. I'll try," she whispered, steeling herself for the task ahead.

Gathering her strength, Sarah made her way to her desk, the swivel chair creaking beneath her as she sank into it. The bag of personal belongings thudded onto the floor, the sound echoing her present turmoil. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, trembling ever so slightly, before deciding not to type anything just yet.

"Long night?" a familiar voice asked, filled with concern. It was Tom, one of her closest colleagues.

Sarah looked up, her bloodshot eyes meeting his. "You could say that," she muttered, forcing a weak smile onto her chapped lips.

"Take it easy today," he suggested, gently squeezing her shoulder before returning to his own work.

As much as she longed for some reprieve, Sarah knew she couldn't afford it. Not after what she'd seen, what she'd lived through in the darkness of the city's underworld. The faces and screams of those who had fallen prey to its brutality haunted her dreams each night, leaving her gasping for air in cold sweat. And during the day, the memories lurked behind every corner like a vengeful specter, threatening to swallow her whole.

"Focus, Sarah," she whispered to herself, her breath fogging up the computer screen for a moment. She blinked away the tears that threatened to spill over, her heart constricting painfully at the thought of all she had lost.

"Did you find the truth you were looking for?" Anna's voice echoed in her head, a painful reminder of the rift that had grown between them. Sarah clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms as she tried to silence the doubt gnawing at her conscience.

"Dammit," she murmured, closing her eyes against the onslaught of images that bombarded her – Dominic's piercing gaze, Vincent's cruel smirk, the lifeless bodies that littered the streets of their battlegrounds. The guilt weighed on her like a leaden cloak, suffocating her, drowning her in an ocean of despair.

"Sarah?" Tom's voice cut through the fog, pulling her back to the surface. "You alright?"

"Y-yeah," she stammered, wiping away the tears that had escaped her control. "Just... just a lot on my mind."