Gemotions

The phone lay face down on the table, its screen dark. Sarah stared at it, the silence in the room pressing down on her. The bubbly balloons, delivered that morning, seemed to mock her with their festive cheer.

She wandered through the apartment, touching things, tracing the edges of picture frames. The air felt thick, heavy, as though the very walls were breathing. She sank onto the sofa, pulling a throw blanket over her legs.

Her mind felt blank. She could feel a subtle heaviness in her chest, a sense of resignation that she couldn't quite articulate. The anticipation, the planning, all gone. She’d always preferred the quiet days, anyway, hadn't she?