Gemotions

The news sliced through him like a blade. John, always the popular one, the effortlessly charming one, had beaten him again. It wasn’t just a job; it was a symbol of everything he'd been striving for.

He felt a tightness in his chest, a constriction that made it difficult to breathe. He wanted to lash out, to scream at the injustice of it all. He started pacing, back and forth, the sound of his footsteps echoing in the empty apartment.

He picked up a book, a thick tome on philosophy, and threw it against the wall. The sound of the impact offered a small measure of satisfaction, the only comfort he could find. The world was a cruel joke.