Gemotions

It was in a group meeting, casually dropped into the conversation. His colleagues already knew. She was the last to find out. A wave of heat rushed to her face. She managed a thin smile, but her voice cracked when she spoke.

She couldn't bring herself to go back to her lab. The thought of facing her equipment, facing the work she'd poured her heart and soul into, was unbearable. She wandered the campus, a detached observer.

She stopped by the fountain, watching the water cascade down. His absence would likely not even be noticed. She was replaceable. The utter lack of importance gnawed at her, and she felt a tear escape.