Page 60 of Sexting My Ex’s Dad

My skin goes cold all over again. I don’t touch the photo, but I don’t look away either. “Where did you get that?”

Meredith tilts her head. “From a concerned party. Someone who cares about Hawthorne’s reputation.”

My mouth goes dry. “You’re saying I’m damaging the hospital’s reputation,” I reply, keeping my voice even, “by having dinner.”

Meredith’s eyes stay on me. “Dr. Nathan Clarke is Chief of Trauma Surgery, and he’s interim Medical Director, which means his conduct has consequences.”

The way she says consequences tells me she’s enjoying this. “And you are staff, which means you’re in a power imbalance, whether you admit it or not.”

I lean back slightly. “Are you accusing him of coercion?” The anger in my voice makes it shake slightly.

Meredith’s smile fades into something colder. “I’m accusing you of poor judgment.”

I laugh once, short and humorless. “That’s convenient.”

Meredith taps the folder lightly with one finger. “I believe certain messes should exist out of this hospital.”

“You’re not being subtle,” I point out.

Meredith shrugs slightly. “Subtlety isn’t required,” she replies. “This is an HR office, not a romance novel.”

My face heats. “Fine,” I say. “What do you want?”

Meredith’s voice turns practical. “You’re going to resign.”

My fingers curl on my lap. “No.”

Meredith slides another document across the table. It’s a formal complaint template with language already filled in, lines about conflict of interest and coercion and abuse of authority. Whatever color I had on my face blanches away. “You prepared this.”

Meredith nods once. “This can go to Compliance,” she says, and I don’t miss the glint in her eyes. She’s enjoying this on a personal level, and I can’t fathom why. “It can go to the board. It can go to donors if it becomes a story. It can become a situation where you’re unemployable in any hospital network that checks references.”

My breath turns shallow, and I force myself to keep speaking. “You can’t do that,” I say, keeping my voice level. “I haven’t done anything illegal.”

Meredith’s gaze stays calm. “Legality isn’t the only thing that matters,” she replies. “Reputation, patterns, optics. Those are powerful words in a hospital.”

I stare at her and feel my pulse in my fingertips. “You’re threatening my career?”

Meredith lifts her tea cup and takes a small sip like she’s enjoying the taste. “I’m offering you a graceful exit.”

“Graceful,” I repeat.

Meredith sets the cup down. “You can resign effective immediately. And we can process it under emergency separation.”

I swallow. “Emergency separation,” I echo.

Meredith’s eyes hold mine. “Yes. You can cite immediate safety concerns, and we can expedite it, and no one has to ask why.”

My skin prickles.

Safety concerns.

The message from last night flashes through my head, then my mother’s voice on the phone, and then the note in her mailbox. This isn’t only about the hospital, this is someone pulling strings from multiple directions.

My hands go cold. “You know I’ve been threatened,” I say quietly.

Meredith’s mouth curves slightly. “I know you’re making poor decisions,” she replies. “And I know you’re standing too close to a man whose life is bigger than yours.”

Rage rises hot, and I hold it down with practice. “You mean his career is bigger than mine?”