Gemotions

The constant clicking of keys in the office became a grating background noise. Maria stared at her screen, the words blurring before her eyes. She couldn't concentrate on the report she was supposed to be writing. Her thoughts kept returning to the email she'd seen, the one with the subject line "Important Update."

She hadn't opened it, not yet. She was afraid to. Afraid of what the words inside might reveal. She felt a familiar tension grip her shoulders, a tightness that made it difficult to breathe.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. But the feeling of instability, of being adrift, clung to her, a persistent shadow. She needed to know, but she dreaded knowing.