Gemotions

The crumpled flyer felt like a poisoned dart in Amelia’s hand. She crushed it further, the thin paper groaning under the pressure. Her jaw clenched so tightly she felt a muscle spasm in her cheek. She’d been saving for a house, sure, but not *now*. Certainly not under duress. The realtor’s smile plastered across the glossy announcement seemed to sneer at her.

She slammed the flyer onto the kitchen counter, the cheap laminate rattling. Her gaze shot towards the peeling paint on the cabinets, the chipped tiles. Suddenly, every imperfection in the apartment seemed to mock her. She wished she could smash something.

Her knuckles whitened as she picked up her phone, ready to unleash a torrent of fury at the property manager. The words, when they finally came, crackled with a forced control that barely contained the simmering heat rising within her.