The Reclaimed Hours (Short Story): The Reclaimed Series, #1

By Jaya Gradin

Thought you could fix the system by becoming part of it? Sarah did – and it nearly destroyed her. "The Reclaimed Hours" is a wake-up call for the overachievers, idealists, and those secretly dreading Monday mornings. Discover a different kind of ambition, one rooted in fighting for a world where work is more than just a means to survive.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jaya Gradin
• Release date: Apr 5, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224369195

Book preview

The Reclaimed Hours

by Jaya Gradin

Table of Contents

Title Page

Chapter 1: The Burnout Begins

Chapter 2: The Breaking Point

Chapter 3: Retreat Reluctance

Chapter 4: Arrival and Resistance

Chapter 5: Retreat Revelations

Chapter 6: The Wedding Dress Wake-Up

Chapter 7: Work World Woes

Chapter 8: Confrontation and Crossroad

Chapter 9: The Difficult Homecoming

Chapter 10: Standing Her Ground

Chapter 11: Reclamation in Progress

Chapter 12: Finding Footing

Chapter 1: The Burnout Returns

Chapter 1: The Burnout Begins

The world narrowed .  Sarah Evans stared at her computer screen, the urgent project proposal dissolving into a meaningless jumble of words. Her hands shook, a frantic tremor she desperately tried to hide. A buzzing in her ears blotted out the whir of the office air conditioner and her colleagues' idle chatter. A familiar tightness squeezed her chest, each breath a struggle.  Am I having a heart attack? The thought bubbled up, a ridiculous, terrifying possibility amidst the mundane chaos of her Tuesday.

Sarah, you okay? Her co-worker, Jenny, was peering at her with thinly veiled concern.

Fine. Peachy. Sarah blinked hard, trying to refocus. Peachy? The only thing she felt peachy about was ready to implode. Another looming deadline, another impossible ask shoved onto her already overflowing plate. It was the ceaseless rhythm of her life: work, eat (maybe), sleep (not enough), repeat.

Sarah swiveled to face the towering stack of unfiled reports on her desk. Her inbox was a digital beast, growing with each passing minute, each unanswered email another accusing red dot. The landline phone trilled an off-key tune, a herald of another crisis waiting. She'd barely had time for a proper lunch since...was it last week? Each task, no matter how trivial, seemed to split and multiply like a relentless hydra.

Power through, Evans, she muttered to herself. It was her mantra, the frayed rope she clung to against the relentless tide of her job as a senior account executive at a cutthroat marketing firm. The pay was phenomenal, the pressure unending. She'd thrived on it once, back when demanding clients and late nights were notches on her belt, proof of her ambition. Before it became the entirety of her existence.

Her gaze snagged on the framed photo on the corner of her desk. It was her and Tom, engaged six months ago, smiles wide and carefree. Their wedding date was a looming target in her calendar: eight weeks and counting.  She studied his handsome face and the way her hand rested on his arm, a pang of guilt mixing with the usual affection. Lately, Tom seemed more