Gemotions

He’d arrived at her apartment with a bouquet of lilies – his favorite flowers – to apologise. Laura slammed the door in his face. It was the only thing she could do. She saw him on her laptop earlier that day, working as a janitor. She had believed his stories of being a successful writer, the literary awards, the international travel. Now, the flowers felt like a cruel mockery.

She flung herself onto the sofa, burying her face in the cushions, the scent of the fabric doing little to calm her. The walls seemed to press in, suffocating her. He was supposed to be her best friend. The weight of the lie, the sheer audacity of it, threatened to overwhelm her. The world had lost its color. It had become a monochrome landscape of deceit.