Gemotions

The sleek, silver invitation sat on the pristine white counter, a monument to a past that felt both distant and overwhelmingly present. Sarah felt a pressure in her chest, a squeezing sensation that made it difficult to breathe.

She found herself walking, pacing the sterile, minimalist kitchen. Her hands were clenched into fists, the nails digging into her palms. The reunion... it was a threat, a violation of the carefully constructed walls she'd erected around her life.

She snatched the invitation and ripped it into tiny pieces. The act didn’t diminish the feeling. She felt it, an ugly, bitter taste, at the back of her throat.