Gemotions

Sarah clutched the faded, heart-shaped balloon, its helium slowly escaping. Her shoulders slumped as she reread the text message, the words blurring through unshed tears. “Party’s off. Family emergency.” The message was curt, impersonal. She’d been so excited, so certain of tonight. Now, the crepe paper streamers, carefully hung, seemed to mock her. A wave of nausea hit, a cold wash spreading through her chest. The apartment, normally bright with her anticipation, felt hollow, the silence amplifying the tremor in her hands.