Gemotions

The email sat in his inbox, a digital dagger. “Regret to inform you…” The words felt like a physical blow. He slammed his laptop shut, the metallic clang echoing in the otherwise quiet office.

He pushed his chair back, the sudden movement causing a sharp pain in his shoulder, which he ignored. The celebratory decorations he'd half-heartedly put up now seemed ridiculous, a pathetic attempt at cheerfulness.

He stared at the blank wall, the stark white a painful emptiness. The celebratory mood he’d been nursing all morning vaporized, leaving a void.