Gemotions

The cramped space of the pawn shop felt like a cage to Maya. She had already wasted three hours in her morning, and her blood felt like it was simmering, boiling. The shop owner’s bored expression and the cluttered displays only fueled her inner turmoil.

She spotted it immediately. The distinctive shape of the setting, the almost-too-familiar sparkle. It was her grandmother's engagement ring. She wanted to scream. “That one,” she said, her voice strained, pointing at the ring with a trembling finger.