Gemotions

She felt a tremor run through her, a wave of icy dread. Her fingers fumbled as she scrolled through the company intranet, searching for the official announcement. There it was, bold and stark: "Promotion Candidates Announced." Her pulse hammered in her ears, a frantic rhythm against the quiet office hum. Her breath caught in her throat.

Suddenly, the familiar scent of coffee brewing in the break room turned acrid in her nostrils. The fluorescent lights seemed to flicker, casting unsettling shadows across the room. She felt a desperate urge to flee, to disappear, to rewind time before she’d even applied. Her palms began to sweat.

She attempted to stand, her legs refusing to cooperate, the world tilting precariously. She clutched at the edge of her desk, her knuckles white. She couldn’t bring herself to meet anyone's eyes. This couldn't be happening. She’d worked so hard. She'd put everything on the line.

The chime of a new email arriving in her inbox, another reminder of the inevitable.