Gemotions

"No." The word, a strangled sound, escaped her lips as she scrolled through the email again, as if the words might magically change. A burning sensation erupted in her stomach, a corrosive acid eating away at any hope. She threw her phone onto her desk, the screen flashing the mocking message of rejection.

The apartment, previously a place of refuge, now seemed to press in around her, the walls closing in. Her carefully planned routine, her meticulously organized schedule, felt like a cruel mockery of her life. She was filled with a sense of defiance that was a sharp, hard point in her core. She'd show them. They'd regret it.

She marched to the kitchen, opening the fridge with a deliberate snap. The sight of the half-eaten leftovers, the healthy vegetables she'd planned to eat, made her shudder. This was a place she was supposed to be safe. But, it was clear that she was not.