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"Stop." Andy grabbed Karen's hand. They were on Phyllis' section. They both read the page. It was dated 16 years ago.

When Phyllis first started, she was very happy and joyful. However, she was soon getting depressed. She was distracted and always eating. I always related the eating to the depression. Her outfits as well. Baggy clothes all the time. Then, for a month, she left. When Phyllis returned, she was still depressed but it seemed like it was because of something else than previously. I overheard a phone call she made. She was checking up on someone named "Lilly." A baby girl, apparently..

Andy and Karen glanced at Phyllis who was still helping Stanley with his crossword puzzle. They figured out what Phyllis' secret was. She had been pregnant and had given her daughter up for adoption. Karen smiled, sadly. "That's why she's so motherly sometimes..."

Andy nodded in agreement. Yes, he and Phyllis weren't exactly best friends, but she had been welcoming when he had returned from anger management training.

"I wonder if Bob Vance knows."

Andy looked at Karen. She's not thinking of meddling in this.

Karen noticed his look. "What? It's just a simple question."

"Don't you dare, Karen."

"Andy, you've known me longer than anyone else here in this office. Do you seriously--?"

"Karen, your phone is ringing," a voice called out, interrupting them.  Karen glanced over at Phyllis. She smiled and put the book down, heading over towards her desk.

Andy watched her as she went back to her desk. Yes, he did know her. But did Creed know her? he wondered.  He picked up the book and quickly flipped through to find Karen's section. It was dated two weeks ago:

The new Italian chick thinks I'm deaf. I'm sitting in the break room eating my soup. She comes barging in with her cell phone. She closed all the doors. She was talking to someone named Josh and he worked at Staples. She kept asking about positions for her and her boyfriend. She was stating how much she hated it here in Scranton and that she couldn't wait to leave the miserable place and all the people here. She said that we were pitiful and stupid and she didn't see what Jim saw. Especially in Michael. She finally looked at me. She just smiled and left.

Andy couldn't believe what he was reading. The cold-hearted bitch. He tucked the book in his coat and decided to bring this matter to Michael. And Jim. Especially Jim. He has to know what Karen is planning. He started walking, but decided to take the long way around to avoid Karen's desk.

Karen was still on the phone when she saw Andy glance at her. She knew, instinctively, that Andy must have found her ‘secret.' Whatever it was. The old man had nothing on me. I barely talked to him. I mean...

Her heart stopped. She suddenly remembered the day when Josh had called her at work. In the break room. With Creed there. Shit! Her mind was racing and she couldn't concentrate on her client anymore. Her eyes widened when she saw Andy heading around the around towards Michael's office.

"Karen, are you all right?" Phyllis saw how Karen's face had suddenly become pale.

Karen didn't answer. She muttered something into the receiver and hung up the phone.

Andy stood in front of Michael's door. After a pause, he glanced at Karen who was giving him a death glare. She knows. He knocked. He heard movement.

"Andy, would you come over here, please?" Karen's voice was stern and angry. There was no way was he going to her. He prayed that the door would open soon.

"Andy." Her voice was louder now. He tried the knob and it wouldn't turn. Jim, Michael, someone please open the fucking door!

"Andrew Edward Bernard!" Karen was standing now. Once again, everyone was staring. Andy looked at her. She was seething. She started towards him when Jim opened the door.

"What is going on out--?"

"I think you should read this, Jim," Andy blurted out, shoving the book into his hands.  It was opened to Karen's section. The entire time, Andy stared at Karen. She had stopped, in mid-stride. She let out a deep breath.

Jim read the entry. He looked up at Andy and then at Karen. He shook his head in disgust.  "I ... don't know what to say, Karen."  Jim breathed out slowly, looking down at the book again.  He flipped forward to the front of the book, mouthing the title to himself:  "'The Secrets of My Co-Workers ...'"  He trailed off, looking up at Karen again.

"Jim, I can explain..." She was pleading.

"There's nothing to explain." He wasn't going to take it. Not this time. All the times she had complained to him about Scranton, and about the branch... This was his home. This was his family. This was the last straw.

Karen knew it was over. However, if she was going down, she was going to take someone down with her. She looked back at Phyllis. "So," she said, her mouth turning up into a sick smile.  "How's Lilly? Have you heard anything from her, Phyllis?  She should be around 16 years old now, right?"

Andy's mouth dropped. I can't believe that you just did that. He saw Phyllis' face.

She was biting her bottom lip. She was grasping her chair arms. That was her secret. The daughter that she had given up for adoption. Bob didn't even know about Lilly. It was in her past. The past she had wanted to forget. She had been young and naïve. She hadn't known she was pregnant when she'd started. All the emotions started to swell up inside. Those very dark days. Phyllis looked up at Karen. That bitch. She glared at the younger woman.

Karen was unafraid of Phyllis, or anyone else in that God-forsaken office. She knew she was on her way out, so what did it matter? "What, Phyllis? Would your daughter be disappointed to know that her--"

Slap. Phyllis had lunged from her chair and slapped Karen. It was so quick that it took both women a moment to realize what had happened. Phyllis was finally able to muster, "How dare you? You -- you have no idea what I went through, and for you, of all people, to bring up that pain. How dare you!"

Karen held onto her left cheek. At that moment, she knew that she had snapped. This wasn't her. She wasn't the kind of person who just hurt people who had done absolutely nothing to her. She whispered, "I'm sorry." She glanced at Michael's office doorway. Andy was still standing there with Jim. Michael and Dwight had joined them from behind. The book. It was still in Jim's hands. She ran and grabbed it. The men protested, especially Andy. He knew what her next action was going to be.

"Karen, I think that you should just put that down," Jim said. Walking backwards, she flipped past Meredith's section.

"It does more damage than good," Andy shouted to her.

 Kelly's section...

 Toby's section...

"It should be destroyed," Dwight piped up. Karen was already by the accounting area when she reached Andy's section. It was written a month ago, pretty much around the time he had gotten back from anger management. Her eyes wandered the page. She couldn't believe it. She glanced at Kevin.

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Chapter End Notes:
Once again, thanks for reading! I hope that you're entertained by this. I'm actually enjoying writing this a lot so feedback would be amazing!

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