Gemotions

The acceptance letter, once a symbol of triumph, now felt like a lead weight in Elias's hand. He sat in his cramped dorm room, the celebratory posters already peeling at the edges, a constant reminder of a joy that felt tainted. His phone buzzed, a notification from the university about a mandatory meeting. He knew, with a certainty that settled like ice in his stomach, what it was about. His scholarship. The one he shouldn’t have. He traced the faded ink of the acceptance letter, remembering the elation, the freedom it had promised. Now, all he felt was a dull ache, a hollow space where pride used to reside.