Gemotions

It was the way Jessica had looked at her, that final interview. A little too bright, a little too knowing. As if she already knew. Now the email confirmed it. Amelia had been passed over.

She stared at the wall. The sunlight through the window felt harsh, highlighting every speck of dust. The clean, minimalist apartment suddenly seemed cold and sterile. She’d spent weeks preparing, sacrificing everything.

She picked up the framed photograph of Jessica, the two of them smiling on graduation day. She felt the urge to throw it, to shatter the perfect facade. Instead, she put it down carefully, the gesture a tightly controlled exercise in restraint.