Gemotions

The congratulatory cake felt like a lead weight in her stomach. Emily forced a smile as she sliced a piece, handing it to the newly promoted Thomas. Each forced bite was a battle. She listened as her colleagues gushed about Thomas's brilliance, his innovative ideas.

She excused herself from the celebration, her throat tight. The bathroom offered a brief reprieve. She splashed cold water on her face, trying to cool the heat that seemed to radiate from her very core. She knew the work involved, but she could not hide the bitterness that now took root.

Back at her desk, she cleared her workspace, suddenly overcome with the urge to reorganize, to scrub away any trace of this feeling. Her fingers fumbled with the stapler, the pen, her notepad – she dropped everything.