Gemotions

He stared at the email, the words blurring before his eyes. The rejection felt like a physical blow, a punch to the gut. The air in his office suddenly felt thin, hard to breathe. He had imagined this moment, but the reality was far worse. He felt like his stomach was turning inside out.

He rose from his chair, a slow, deliberate movement, and walked to the window. The cityscape below, usually a source of inspiration, now looked drab and lifeless. He wanted to smash something, to break free from this suffocating feeling.

He picked up a pen from his desk and snapped it in two. Then, another. And another. The sharp crack of the plastic was the only sound in the room, a small act of defiance in the face of utter defeat.