Gemotions

The innocuous email, announcing the teacher assignments. He'd almost deleted it, another piece of digital clutter. Then he'd seen the name: Mrs. Hawthorne. He felt a jolt, a physical shock that ran through his entire body. Mrs. Hawthorne, the woman who'd crushed his dreams of becoming an artist. The same Mrs. Hawthorne.

He re-read the email, his vision blurring. The words swam before his eyes. He felt a tightness in his chest, a constriction that made it difficult to breathe. His hands trembled as he closed the laptop. The walls of his home seemed to be closing in on him.

He slammed his fist against the desk. He remembered the sharp criticism, the dismissive remarks about his work. He couldn't let his daughter, Chloe, face the same emotional wounds. He paced the room, a whirlwind of suppressed anger. He had to protect her. He would.