Gemotions

The coffee cup shattered in Maria’s grip, a ceramic explosion of beige shards across the linoleum. *Clang!* She stared at the mess, her eyes wide, unblinking. It was the only tangible thing that had ever belonged to her, a cheap mug she’d gotten at a thrift store. Now it was just useless fragments. Everything was useless.

She paced her tiny apartment, the linoleum cold beneath her bare feet. The words in the email echoed in her mind: “Financial difficulties… unable to continue operations.” She wanted to scream, to smash something else, anything to release the pressure building in her chest. Each breath was a struggle, a physical effort. The injustice of it all, the utter futility of her efforts, was unbearable.