Gemotions

The photograph on her desk suddenly seemed to stare back at her. Her advisor, smiling, taken during a conference last year. She looked at her own pale face in the reflection of her computer screen. She'd seen the signs, the increased meetings with other institutions, the subtle hints. But she had chosen to ignore them.

She remembered the times she'd shown up late for their appointments, unprepared and unenthusiastic. She felt a burning sensation in her chest, a painful awareness of what she'd lost.

She was left with a gnawing sense of emptiness, an ache she couldn't name. The weight of her own indifference settled heavily.