Gemotions

He saw the memo first, a quick glimpse of a headline on the morning news feed. Then, the internal company email confirmed it: sold. The color drained from his face. The coffee in his mug suddenly tasted like ash. All the plans, the dreams… what would become of them?

He felt a deep, unsettling hollowness in his chest. His hands grew clammy, and he wiped them on his pants. He couldn’t focus, his mind racing, jumping from thought to thought. He felt paralyzed, unable to move, trapped in a nightmare. He just wanted to wake up.

He pushed his chair back from his desk, the wheels squeaking in protest, a sound that seemed to mock his current situation.