Gemotions

The phone vibrated in Emily's hand, displaying a message from Mark. He wanted to meet at his "office" - a flashy downtown restaurant he frequently used as a backdrop to perpetuate his lies about being a tech executive. Emily felt her stomach twist.

She pushed back from her desk, the chair screeching on the tile floor. She was running late, the meeting was in an hour, but she wasn’t sure if she could go through with it.

The city outside her window seemed to hum with an obnoxious energy, mirroring the feeling in her chest. She needed to breathe, but her breath felt trapped. She really didn’t want to go.