Gemotions

It felt like a physical blow. The paper was still in her hand, but her fingers had gone numb. The air in her chest seemed to have solidified, making it hard to breathe. Condo. She reread the word, each letter a knife twisting in her gut.

She flung the letter across the room. It landed near the bookcase, a sad little white flag. Her breath came in short, sharp gasps. This whole building, this whole life, was being taken away from her.

She sat heavily on the couch, her shoulders slumped. The silence in the apartment pressed in on her, amplifying the hollowness in her chest. She wanted to scream. She wanted to break something.