Gemotions

A cold sweat slicked down David’s back. The email, with its subject line “My Sincere Regrets,” had arrived just as he was about to present to the board. He surreptitiously glanced at his phone, the glowing screen a betrayal of the calm facade he was trying to project. His tie felt constricting. He swallowed, fighting the urge to bolt from the room.

He scanned the words: "I was young, and I acted poorly..." His heart hammered against his ribs. He gripped the edge of the conference table, his knuckles bone-white. The board members seemed to blur in his vision, their faces shifting and distorting like in a funhouse mirror. He wanted to scream.