Gemotions

The weight of the notice felt like a physical burden. Emily dropped it onto the kitchen table, the sound echoing in the otherwise silent apartment. She picked at a loose thread on the tablecloth, her fingers tracing the faded pattern.

She remembered the day she’d moved in, full of hope and optimism. The apartment had seemed like a fresh start. Now, it represented another failure. Another broken promise. She'd been her own undoing.

Her eyes stung, and she blinked rapidly, willing the tears to retreat. She looked around the empty room, at the bare walls and the dusty furniture. She should have listened to her mother. She should have been more careful. She should have… everything.