Gemotions

The news broke during their weekly coffee. Emma felt her stomach clench as she heard the details of the promotion. Her friend, John, was the one who had secured the senior editor position.

The aroma of coffee, usually comforting, was now nauseating. She found herself picking at the sugar packets, the crinkling sound grating on her nerves. The café buzzed with cheerful chatter, but it felt to her like a deafening silence.

She spent the following days isolating herself, cancelling plans, and avoiding all social media. She deleted John's number from her phone, and she threw her phone across the room one day, cracking the screen.