Gemotions

The news hit David like a physical blow. He’d seen the pay stubs. Chloe, the intern, the one who spilled coffee on his desk, the one who asked him for advice every other day, was making more than he was. His palms began to sweat.

He found himself constantly checking his bank account, obsessively tallying expenses. He couldn’t risk a setback, a change. His entire life felt like it was balanced on a precarious edge. Any push, any gust of wind, could send it all crashing down.

He avoided the company cafeteria, afraid to run into Chloe. The thought of engaging in small talk, pretending to be happy for her, felt impossible. He went home to the same routines, the same worries, the same stifled resentment.