Esai

Esai Part 3

"I--" She stopped, the deluge of thoughts and emotions bottlenecked at the top of her throat. Her mental filter had acted swiftly, stemming the flood of thoughts before it could breach her emotional and verbal defenses. Timidly, she demurred, "I just had a rough day at work. That's all." Grace fell silent again. Internally, she chided herself for her hesitance, her anxiety swelling alongside her mounting sense of overwhelm.

Feeling an irresistible urge to move, Grace lifted the bubbling pot from the stove. Her movements were hurried and frantic, each one an attempt to release the pent-up emotions that felt like caged animals within her.

Esai observed her agitation, wanting to redirect her attention from distraction to resolution. He chose an uncharacteristic approach, positioning himself firmly in her path. His stance showed determined resolve. "Grace..." His voice was gentle, yet it carried a weight that demanded attention. His eyes, filled with concern, sought hers.

Grace almost mechanically stepped forward, as if she might walk right through him. But at the last moment, she hesitated, her gaze dropping to the floor to escape his.

Esai's gamble paid off. Reaching out, he took her hand gently in his. His touch was tender, his words held a firm assurance. "Grace, listen to me. You're being too hard on yourself." He placed his other hand lightly on her shoulder, a supportive gesture. "Your reactions are human, completely normal."

He paused, allowing her to process his words, his thumb caressing the back of her hand soothingly. "Stop judging yourself so harshly." Gently, he reached towards her chin, encouraging her to look up. When she finally relented, his eyes locked with hers, imploring her to recognize the truth he saw.

Esai leaned in, their foreheads nearly touching. His voice was a tender whisper. "There's no need for second-guessing." A warm, expressive smile spread across his face, his eyes sparkling with humor and warmth. "And yes, I can see the storm in that beautiful mind of yours." He placed a tender kiss on her forehead.

Tears cascaded down Grace's cheeks as Esai's kiss lingered in her imagination. She longed to feel the warmth of a loving kiss, but the reality left a cold, dull ache in her heart. A solitary tear that trailed down her cheek soon multiplied into many, forming rivulets of pain and frustration.

Grace's voice trembled with a mixture of frustration and hurt. "It's Janet, Esai, it's Janet. I just can't take it anymore." More tears welled up as she spoke. "She's out of her mind. She's accusing me of things I've never done, telling people I'm harassing her. She's trying to turn them against me."

Her words spilled out more frantically with each sentence, her hands clenching and unclenching as though trying to physically grasp her thoughts. "She tries to steal my work. If I confront her, she blames everyone, including me."

Taking a shaky breath, Grace attempted to steady herself and her sniffles. "Even the smallest mistake, she magnifies it, reporting it to my boss like it's a major scandal. I feel like I'm walking into a warzone every day at work." Her shoulders trembled as she fought to control her sobs. She bit her lip to stifle the sound and held her breath as if holding in the pain would stop it.

After she regained some composure, she continued, "I'm battling daily panic attacks just to enter the building. Talking about it? It feels like a nightmare." Grace's brows furrowed in pain. She gently massaged her forehead, unconsciously trying to relieve the tension. "Half the people think I'm exaggerating, siding with her. The others? They see it as a misunderstanding, suggesting we just need to talk it out. No one seems to understand what's happening."

Her tear-streaked face briefly caught the light as she tried to maintain eye contact with Esai, but the effort proved too much. Pulling back, She leaned heavily on the counter, her body seeming to shrink under the weight of her distress. "I don't know what to do, Esai. I'm at my wit's end." Tears and fell and merged on the floor as they fell unhindered.

"I can only imagine how tough this has been for you, Grace," Esai said, his voice was calm like a lake with perfect reflection and his empathy like a warm light in the cold of night. "It's completely unfair, being blamed for things you haven't done. Dealing with that, on top of your regular duties, must be incredibly exhausting." He paused, offering her a moment to breathe, then continued gently, "Would you feel comfortable telling me more about what happens when Janet accuses you? I want to understand." He also leaned against the counter drawing his height down to a level closer to hers.

Grace hesitated, taken aback by Esai's sincere concern and readiness to listen—a sharp contrast to the disbelief or dismissal she often faced. This unexpected shift caught her off guard, leaving her mind scrambling to adapt. Esai's empathy, so genuine and focused, began to lower the barriers she instinctively erected. Yet, a nagging self-doubt lingered, unfamiliar with such undivided support

However, she knew that Esai was genuine in all his interactions with her. If he said he wanted to hear more, he meant it. With that encouragement, she continued. "She always makes a mess, Esai. I still can't believe what happened during our last presentation," Grace said, her voice a mix of frustration and disbelief. "It was my turn to present the project I've been working on for weeks, but Janet... she just took over, claiming it was her work."

Attempting to release some of the strain, Grace sighed deeply. The memory was still raw and painful. "She was presenting, but it was clear she didn't understand any of it. The details, the data... she was just fumbling through. Our boss started asking questions, and she couldn't answer any of them properly."

As Grace recounted the next part of the story, her body tensed, reflexively entering a fight-or-flight response as she relived the moment. "That's when she did it. She accused me, right there in front of everyone, of sabotaging her. She said I must have changed her slides, that I was trying to undermine her! Can you believe that?"

The disbelief and offense in her voice were raw and exposed, mingled with a profound sense of hurt. "Everyone was looking at me, Esai. I felt so... cornered. It was my work, and she not only stole it but then had the audacity to accuse me of sabotage. And I think my boss believed her—he looked so concerned. I didn't even know what to say. I just froze." Grace's voice broke slightly, conveying the deep betrayal and isolation she felt. "I was so alone, Esai. Nobody stood up for me; nobody questioned her. She just got away with it." Her voice trailed off, the weight of the betrayal and isolation coloring the pain in her expression.

Esai absorbed Grace's story, responding with silent nods to communicate his understanding. He allowed her words to resonate in the quiet space around them, creating space for them to exist uncontested. After a thoughtful pause, he gently broke the silence. When he finally spoke his voice had a soothing effect, like a calming balm on her wounded heart.