Gemotions

He blinked, several times, as he stared at the email. *Subject: Training your Replacement.* His heart hammered against his ribs. He reread the words, as if they might magically change. They didn't. He felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to flee the building.

The office around him seemed to shrink, the fluorescent lights buzzing menacingly. He could practically feel the judgment emanating from every cubicle, every water cooler gossip session he'd missed. He swiveled in his chair, a coldness spreading through his extremities.

He considered pretending he hadn't seen the email, deleting it, and hoping the whole thing would just vanish. But the insistent ping of a follow-up reminder shattered that fantasy. He sighed, a sound of profound deflation. This was, to put it mildly, not how he had envisioned his career trajectory.