Gemotions

She stared at the invitation, the embossed lettering mocking her. "Welcome, Amelia, to the Human Resources department." She crumpled it, the crisp paper crinkling in her grasp. It was the end. She'd known it was coming the moment she'd seen Mark, the VP of her old department, shaking his head at the mention of her name in the meeting.

The walk through the office felt like a trek through a minefield. Each familiar face, each shared joke, now a reminder of what was lost. She tried to smile, to appear unaffected, but her lips felt stiff, as if frozen in place. Her stomach churned with a nervous energy that she couldn't quell.

She sat at her new desk, the bare surface reflecting her hollow gaze. She missed the lively banter with her colleagues, the feeling of belonging. She missed the feeling of making a difference in a job she had loved. She felt like a foreign body in her new setting.