Gemotions

The fluorescent lights of the pawn shop hummed, amplifying the silence. Sophia found herself paralyzed in front of the display. The ring. Her grandmother's ring. She'd traded it for a moment of fleeting pleasure. The image of her grandmother's reaction, her disappointment, her hurt, played on a constant loop in her mind.

A wave of dizziness washed over her. She gripped the edge of the counter, her knuckles white. She wanted to scream, to apologize, to rewind time, but all she could do was stand there, a prisoner of her own making, the cold steel of the ring a constant, painful reminder.