Gemotions

The letter lay on the mahogany table, gleaming beneath the warm light of the reading lamp. Sarah picked it up, expecting a thank you note from the university for her fundraising efforts. Instead, the words swam before her eyes: *Incorrect Recipient*. Her stomach lurched. The grant for her research project, the very thing that would allow her to finish her thesis, was not for her.

She felt a strange disconnect, as if watching a movie about someone else. The room seemed to shrink, the walls closing in. She found herself clutching the letter, as if it were a life raft in a turbulent sea. She felt like she could barely breathe. Her carefully constructed facade of composure shattered, revealing the raw panic beneath.