Gemotions

The hum of the server room intensified, a low thrum that mirrored the pressure building behind her eyes. Across the desk, the replacement, a boyish man named Daniel, sat with a notebook, his brow furrowed in concentration. She felt her fists clench.

She walked him through the network infrastructure, her voice tight, the words feeling like shards of glass in her throat. Each explanation, each detail, felt like a piece of her soul being chipped away. He was eager, yes, but he was also… *new*.

As he asked another question, she felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. She gripped the edge of the desk, her knuckles white. The air seemed to compress around her, suffocating. “Let’s… let’s take a break,” she managed, her voice barely a whisper.