Gemotions

The restaurant buzzed with laughter and chatter, but for Emily, it was a cacophony. She’d seen the text message, a quick glance at the illuminated screen across the table, the phrase "Dinner's off." He’d said he was at work. Her blood felt like ice.

She excused herself, her legs feeling like lead as she rose from the table. The bathroom mirror reflected a stranger, a woman with wide, vacant eyes and a face stripped of color. She felt a pressure building behind her eyes, a need to escape.

She fumbled with her purse, her hands clumsy and useless. The world seemed to be closing in, the sounds of the restaurant becoming a dull roar in her ears. She had to get out, to breathe, to think. She needed air.