Gemotions

The email was curt, the subject line a brutal stab: "Moving On." Amelia reread it, the words mocking her. Elias, her champion, her guiding star, had slipped away like a whisper. Her breath caught in her throat. She replayed their last conversation, a hurried exchange in the hallway. She'd been distracted, rushing to a meeting. She hadn’t even looked him in the eye.

Her fingers trembled as she clicked through his old emails, searching for something, anything, to bridge the sudden chasm. He had always been so patient, always believed in her. The knot in her stomach tightened. She missed him already.