Gemotions

The email sat in his inbox, glowing neon. He’d scrolled through it twice, each time the words searing themselves into his brain. "Dr. Emily Carter, Licensed Therapist." And then her maiden name. *Her* maiden name. It was the same as the girl who, during adolescence, had made his life a misery. The image of her, always perfectly coiffed, her voice always dripping with condescension, flashed behind his eyes.

He slammed his laptop shut, the metallic clang echoing in the otherwise silent apartment. He paced the small living room, the worn carpet offering little comfort. He couldn't go. He simply couldn't. But the thought of *her*, the potential for more of the same, fueled a strange mixture of anger and... curiosity? No. He refused to admit to that.

He started typing a reply.