Gemotions

The email arrived at 5:02 PM on Friday. Sarah saw the subject line – "Promotion Announcement" – and a knot tightened in her stomach. She’d practically lived at the office the last six months, pouring over reports, staying late, even skipping her niece’s birthday party to finish the Johnson account. Now, the official notification: Mark was getting the Senior Marketing Manager position.

Her knuckles whitened as she clicked the mouse. The congratulatory message from the CEO felt like a slap in the face. She stood up abruptly, knocking over her water bottle, the icy liquid spilling across her desk and onto the floor.

“Damn it,” she muttered, grabbing a stack of napkins, her face flushed.

The office was mostly deserted, but she heard the faint click-clack of Mark’s keyboard from the next cubicle. She considered going over, congratulating him, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, she just stared at the wet patch on her desk, the digital clock on her computer screen mocking her with its unchanging numerals.