Gemotions

He shouldn't have been looking, but curiosity got the better of him. Robert had found the printout in the shredder, a mistake by the office manager. The salary information was clear: The new guy, Kevin, only six months in the job, was paid much more than he, Robert, who had been there for five years. His jaw clenched.

He returned to his desk, the image burned into his mind. He couldn't shake the feeling of being wronged, of being undervalued. The air in the office felt thick, heavy. He stared out the window, at the distant buildings, the endless flow of traffic, the world that was indifferent to his plight.

He felt a deep ache in his chest, a profound sense of disappointment. He tried to focus on his work, but his mind kept returning to that piece of paper, to the injustice of it all. The clicking of his coworkers' keyboards irritated him. He needed an escape, needed to be alone.