Gemotions

“Well, that’s that, then,” she mumbled, the words sounding foreign in her own ears. The notification was a punch to the gut. Emily closed her laptop with a snap, the sharp sound echoing in the otherwise silent room. She rose from her desk, moving as if her limbs were made of lead.

Her usual boundless energy, the eagerness to tackle anything, had completely vanished. She wandered into the living room, collapsing onto the sofa, the cushions doing little to cushion the blow. The world outside the window continued to move, to spin, but for her, time had seemed to stop.

The phone rang, and she just stared at it, the shrill noise grating on her nerves. She didn't have the will to answer it.