Gemotions

The letter lay open on the kitchen table, a betrayal written in crisp, official language. Olivia's scholarship, the means to escape the drudgery of her hometown, was not hers after all. A mistake. A cruel, devastating mistake.

She barely registered her mother’s concerned questions as she retreated to her room. The world seemed to shrink around her, the walls closing in. She collapsed onto her bed, burying her face in the pillow to muffle the sob that ripped through her.

She felt a wave of nausea. The familiar scent of her room, usually a comfort, now felt suffocating. She wanted to disappear, to vanish into the thin air. Her carefully constructed future had crumbled before her eyes, leaving her with nothing but a void.