Gemotions

The air in the office was thick with a palpable tension. Maria's hands trembled as she reread the email. "Acquired." The word felt like a death knell. She'd always found comfort in the routine, the structure, the certainty. It was the only comfort she found.

She felt a cold dread creeping into her bones. She had no savings, no other skills, and no backup plan. She had always relied on the company to provide, to protect. Now, that protection was gone, and she felt utterly exposed.

She felt like a child, lost and alone in a vast, unknown wilderness. She had become so very used to the predictable stability.

She clutched her desk, her knuckles white.