Gemotions

The announcement came over the company email: a salary adjustment for the junior team. Michael's pulse quickened. The adjustment meant they were being paid more. He felt a wave of icy shock. His own salary was stable, but had been for years.

His hands felt clammy as he stared at the screen. He felt an intense need for stability, for safety. He couldn't afford to lose what he had, what he had worked so hard to build. He had obligations.

He stayed late at the office, pretending to work, but really lost in a sea of anxieties. He knew he had to keep going. Any change, any risk, was simply too much to bear. He was stuck, and he felt like he was falling.