Gemotions

The perfectly arranged centerpieces, the elegant table settings—it all felt like a mockery. For Evelyn, the wedding was a minefield, each guest a potential trigger. The sight of him, across the room, was the explosion.

Her throat constricted. She struggled to swallow, as if something were lodged there. Her carefully constructed defenses crumbled. She found herself clutching her wine glass so tightly that the stem felt ready to snap.

Her hands shook. She felt an overwhelming urge to flee, to disappear, to obliterate herself from this scene of forced gaiety. She pushed away from the table, unable to meet the concerned gaze of her friend, and walked toward the bathroom, trying to regain control.