Gemotions

The confetti rained down, a shower of artificial happiness, and all Clara could focus on was Daniel. He was standing near the cake table, his arm wrapped around his new wife, and he looked… happy. It was maddening.

She felt a wave of nausea, a physical manifestation of the bile rising in her throat. She needed space. She maneuvered through the crowd, her movements abrupt and purposeful.

She found a secluded garden and leaned against the cold stone wall, the chill seeping into her skin. The music, the laughter – it was all a cacophony, a constant reminder of the life that was no longer hers. She closed her eyes, fighting back a surge of bitterness she did not know she was capable of.