Gemotions

The office Christmas party felt suffocating, the forced merriment and shallow conversations grating on her nerves. She picked at the canapés, the food tasting like ash in her mouth. Everyone was celebrating Mark's promotion.

She stood by the window, watching the city lights twinkle, the festive scene somehow amplifying her own sense of isolation. The music pulsed, the laughter echoed, but she felt detached, a silent observer in a world she no longer understood.

She was tired of pretending. Tired of the smiles, tired of the ambitions, tired of it all. The sparkle had gone, replaced by a dull ache, a quiet resignation. She wanted to be alone.