Gemotions

The email arrived like a punch to the gut. I read the words over and over, each time the meaning sinking deeper, a cold stone in my stomach. My carefully chosen apartment, the small, rented room I’d managed to find, suddenly felt too big, the walls closing in. I closed my eyes, picturing the overflowing savings account I had imagined, now nothing but a cruel joke. Every aspect of my life, the late-night study sessions, the part-time job, all felt like an elaborate deception, built on a foundation of sand. I felt like a stranger looking into a distorted mirror, the reflection unrecognizable.