I felt tears rise, hot and humiliating. I swallowed them.
“No,” I said. “I was a woman on track to make partner. You just preferred me quieter.”
He grabbed his keys from the counter.
For one absurd second I thought he might apologize.
Instead he said, “You have no idea what you just started.”
Then he walked out.
The front door slammed so hard a framed wedding photo in the hallway fell and shattered. The crack ran straight down the glass between our faces, splitting us cleanly in two.
I stayed in the kitchen until I heard his car peel out of the driveway.
Then I called Roz.
“He got served,” I said.
“How bad?”
I looked toward the hallway at the broken frame still lying faceup on the floor. “He said I was nothing when he found me.”
Roz went quiet for about two seconds. “Wow. He really went with full villain dialogue.”
I let out a sound that wasn’t quite a laugh.
“Are you safe?”
“Yes.”
“Do you need me there?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, that’s useless, so I’m coming anyway.”