Gemotions

The air in the bedroom was thick with the scent of stale coffee and unwashed clothes. Chloe found herself staring at the ceiling, the patterns in the plaster a blur of indistinct shapes. The energy, the vibrancy, had been drained from her. A persistent weight sat on her chest, making it hard to breathe. One evening, whilst helping her partner, Ben, with some admin, she noticed an email thread on his computer: "First Draft Feedback" and the attachment named "Her Silent Song." She clicked the attachment, her fingers trembling, and saw the words, the thinly veiled descriptions of her, and she felt a wave of cold wash over her.