Finally, I sit back, take a sip and look Huda in the eyes, or at least where I think her eyes are behind her sunglasses. “Look. As I said, it’s been eight months. I’m not self-centered enough to believe that anyone is thinking about what happened anymore. It’s not like I’m a criminal. I didn’t do anything, Huda. If you want, I’d even work remotely from my mom’s for a while. I don’t have to go into the office.” I pause, searching her face.

She sighs, pushing the folder back to me, and crosses her arms. A sad, pitiful smile flickers on her lips. “Thank you for putting this together. It must have taken a lot of work. But, Vera, we replaced you. You know that. There’s no position open right now.” She bites her lip. “And besides. It just doesn’t look good for the company. I mean, firing and rehiring like that just shows a lack of commitment, a wayward message. It wouldn’t look good to our current team.”

I feel a needling behind my eyes. So swallowing whatever pride I have left, I start to beg. “How about freelance? You can cut my salary, cut my days. Anything. I just need something to do. No one will hire me. And you know me, Huda. You know how hard I work. You know I basically built this brand—”

It was the wrong approach, that last part, and Huda curls her lips into a pout. “Yes, you contributed a lot to Magdelena. But God, Vera, you made us lose out on a huge investment round.” She spits the last part and I quake, my hand clenching the table for support. “Yes, you’re smart and capable. But you let your personal life spill out for the whole world to see. And I don’t condone that. My employees are scared of what your reputation could do to the company. They’re a little afraid of you, too. Even if there was a chance of you coming back, I couldn’t do it. It would undermine the balance, the equanimity of the entire team. I can’t have my employees afraid of coming to work every day. I can’t sacrifice our feminist messaging by hiring you. I just can’t.” She combs her fingers through her hair and repositions herself, toes pointing toward the exit.