Gemotions

The restaurant was dimly lit, the air thick with the scent of garlic and something else… betrayal? Sarah stared at the text message displayed on Liam's phone. A picture of *her*, beaming, at a karaoke bar – the exact one where she’d thought she’d had a special night with *him* just last week. The blood drained from her face.

She felt as if she'd been physically punched. Her hand flew to her chest, as if to steady a fluttering bird trapped within her ribcage. The room spun. The clatter of cutlery and muffled conversations faded into a dull roar. The wine she’d been sipping suddenly tasted like vinegar in her mouth.

The realization felt like a slow-motion car crash, each detail of her world shattering before her eyes. The meticulously planned date nights. The hushed confessions. All… a carefully constructed lie? The world was askew.