Gemotions

The sun was setting, casting long shadows across campus as Maria read the email. The colours seemed wrong, as if the world had lost its vibrancy. She felt the sudden urge to curl into a ball, to disappear.

She'd spent her whole life preparing for this, for university, for independence, for a successful career. Now it was all for nothing. The weight of her student loans, the pressure of her family's expectations – all came crashing down on her.

She walked outside, past the empty classrooms and silent dormitories, the campus felt like a ghost town. The world seemed to have tilted on its axis, leaving her stranded and alone. She felt a profound loneliness, a sense of being utterly adrift.