Gemotions

The email arrived with the subject line, "Your Legacy." Sarah clicked it open with trembling fingers, her heart hammering against her ribs. The attached document, a PDF titled "The Sarah Chen Story," contained a narrative of her life, a life she didn't recognize. The language, so saccharine, so overly sentimental, sent a shiver down her spine.

She leaned back in her chair, the sleek leather suddenly feeling like a cage. The details, fabricated and embellished, were a nauseating mix of truth and fiction. It was like watching a funhouse mirror reflect her, distorted and grotesque. She felt a growing, insistent pressure behind her eyes.

She deleted the email, but the words lingered, a phantom echo in the silence of her office. She suddenly couldn't bear to be there. She grabbed her coat, the sleeves suddenly too tight, and fled, the fluorescent lights of the office building seeming to pulse and mock her as she went.