Gemotions

The email notification on Chloe's phone was a tiny, digital stab. She should have ignored it. She should have just gone back to sleep. But curiosity, and a deep-seated dread, had her clicking the notification. Her fingers felt like clumsy sausages as she scrolled through the comments.

A coldness spread from her chest, numbing her limbs. Her face flushed, a burning heat rising from her neck. She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing she could erase it all. The words, the pictures, the sheer audacity of it all.

She wanted to scream, to lash out, to disappear. Her apartment felt like a cage, the walls lined with judgmental eyes. She abruptly stood up, knocking over her chair, which tumbled to the floor with a loud crack.