Gemotions

The phone felt heavy in Elena's hand. The review was a death sentence for her new restaurant, "Spice Route." She had worked tirelessly, sacrificing everything, yet here it was, a brutal dissection of her efforts. Her skin prickled with a stinging sensation, as if ants were crawling all over her. Her voice cracked as she spoke to her sous chef, telling him to close up shop. The words felt hollow, like the echo of a forgotten dream. She dropped the phone on the counter, the noise like a gunshot in the suddenly silent space.