It started as a casual Monday lunch chat. I mentioned I got a tattoo over the weekend—a small rose on my arm, spontaneous and sweet, matching with my boyfriend who calls me “his Rose.” My coworkers admired it, except Claire, who stared like I’d committed a crime. She asked where I got it, then left abruptly. I figured she just hated tattoos. Turns out, she hated something else entirely.
The next morning, HR summoned me. Claire had filed a complaint, claiming I was “unprofessional” and “creating a hostile work environment.” Why? Because her husband came home with the same tattoo—and she believed I seduced him. When she showed me a photo, my stomach dropped. That was my boyfriend. The man I’d been dating for six months. The man who told me he was divorced. Claire’s husband.
I tried to explain. I showed texts proving he said he was single. I had no idea Claire was married, let alone to him. But HR kept pressing, and Claire kept glaring. Now I’m the office villain. Rumors swirl—some say I ruined a marriage, others think Claire’s just embarrassed. Meanwhile, I’m drowning in shame and confusion, trying not to cry at my desk.
Joe blocked me. HR says they’re “investigating.” Claire won’t speak to me. I feel like I’m trapped in a soap opera I never auditioned for. I didn’t cheat. I didn’t lie. I just got a tattoo with someone I loved. Now I’m questioning everything—my job, my judgment, my heart. What do you do when your love story turns into someone else’s scandal?
