Chapter 2

The pain in Sarah's arm throbbed where Brenda's fingers had dug in.

But it was the violation, the sheer audacity of the demand and the physical assault, that ignited a cold fury within her.

"You don't get to touch me," Sarah said, her voice low and shaking, but clear.

"You don't get to demand things like that from me."

She wasn't just a new mom anymore; she was a cornered animal.

This wasn't going to happen. Not again.

Brenda looked momentarily taken aback by Sarah's sudden steeliness.

Perhaps she expected tears, or a frightened retreat.

She didn't expect Sarah to stand her ground, her eyes blazing.

Brenda' s aggressive posture faltered for a split second.

It was a tiny crack, but Sarah saw it.

Sarah stepped forward, into Brenda' s personal space, mirroring the earlier aggression.

"Listen to me very carefully," Sarah said, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "You will never approach me again. You will never speak to my son' s needs again. And you will never, ever lay a hand on me again."

She saw Brenda' s eyes widen slightly.

Sarah then did something she never thought she was capable of.

She reached out, grabbed Brenda's wrist, the one that had grabbed her, and squeezed, hard.

Brenda gasped, a small, surprised sound.

"Do you understand?" Sarah pressed, her gaze unwavering.

Brenda yelped, a genuine cry of pain this time. "Yes! Yes, let go!"

Sarah released her grip.

Brenda stumbled back, clutching her wrist, her face a mask of shock and pain.

"I... I was just trying to help my son," Brenda stammered, the fight draining out of her.

She backed away further, her eyes darting around the pantry as if looking for an escape.

"Stay away from me," Sarah repeated, her voice flat and final.

Brenda, rubbing her wrist, turned and practically fled the pantry.

A moment later, Chloe, Sarah' s work friend from the marketing department, walked in.

Chloe took one look at Sarah' s pale, shaken face and the red marks on her arm.

"Sarah? What happened? You look like you' ve seen a ghost."

Sarah leaned against the counter, taking a deep breath. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me," Chloe said, her expression concerned.

So Sarah told her. Everything. The bizarre request, the talk of a cure, the physical grab.

Chloe listened, her eyes growing wider with each detail.

"Oh, Sarah," Chloe said softly when she finished. "That's... that's Brenda Kowalski for you. I should have warned you."

"Warned me? What do you mean?"

Chloe sighed. "Brenda has a tragic story. Years of infertility, a really difficult pregnancy with Kevin. Then Kevin was born with severe disabilities. Her husband couldn't handle it; he walked out on them when Kevin was just a toddler."

Sarah listened, a knot forming in her stomach.

"She's been alone with him ever since," Chloe continued. "And she's gone down some really weird rabbit holes. Fringe 'natural' remedies, miracle cures. She's become obsessed, especially with breast milk. She thinks it' s some kind of magic elixir."

"Obsessed is an understatement," Sarah muttered, rubbing her arm.

"This isn't the first time," Chloe revealed, her voice low. "There was another new mom here, about two years ago. Emily. Brenda harassed her relentlessly. Kept trying to get her milk for Kevin. It got so bad Emily eventually quit. She couldn't take it anymore."

A chill went down Sarah's spine.

This wasn't an isolated incident. This was a pattern.

Brenda was a known problem.

"So, she' s done this before?" Sarah asked, horrified.

"Yeah. HR knows about her... issues. But Brenda is very good at playing the victim card. Single mom, disabled son. They tend to tiptoe around her."

Sarah felt a sinking feeling.

She had stood up to Brenda, even hurt her.

For a moment, she thought she had dealt with it.

"Well," Sarah said, trying to sound more confident than she felt, "I think I made it clear she needs to leave me alone."

Chloe looked at her sympathetically. "I hope so, Sarah. I really do. But with Brenda, you never know."

Sarah nodded, but a seed of doubt had been planted.