Gemotions

The elevator ride felt interminable. Amelia stared at the numbers ticking upwards, each floor a small eternity. She had just seen the internal compensation report, and the information, so jarring, continued to swim in her head. She was a senior engineer, with a proven track record. He, only a recent graduate, was earning more.

She felt a strange buzzing in her ears. When the elevator doors finally slid open, she practically stumbled out, the polished lobby floor seeming to tilt beneath her feet. She needed air. The air conditioning in the office felt suddenly stifling.

She went to the rooftop garden, the city spread out beneath her, a dizzying panorama of lights and activity. She took a deep breath, but the air did little to settle the turmoil inside. She felt a growing sense of detachment, as though she were watching her own life unfold from a distance.