Gemotions

The news arrived via a curt email, the tone cold and businesslike. Liam read the words with a sinking feeling, his stomach twisting into a tight knot. The publisher had passed. His carefully written story, his life's work, had been deemed…unsuitable.

He walked over to the desk, and stared at the photograph of his friend, who *had* just received a publishing deal. They had both dreamed of this moment together. His friend's smile in the photo felt like a pointed reminder of his own failure. Liam pushed the photo to the back of the desk, and turned away, trying not to feel the sting of what he had missed.

He felt the familiar knot in his stomach tighten.