Gemotions

The editor’s polite phone call had been a formality. She knew it before the words were even spoken. The silence that followed felt like an eternity. She kept repeating how *close* she was, how they *almost* took it. He hadn’t really listened.

She cancelled the dinner plans with her parents. She couldn't face the questions, the quiet concern in her mother’s eyes. She made a microwave meal, picking at the food with no appetite.

She deleted her social media. The likes, the comments, the hopeful messages felt like a mockery.