Gemotions

The bright colors of the birthday card felt obscene in her hand. A cartoon frog wearing a party hat stared back at her. Inside, a perfectly generic message. No name, no hint. Just the stark reminder.

She paced the length of her tiny apartment, the card clutched in her fist. She'd been a fool, and now… It felt like a stone in her stomach.

She had thought about it all day, the things she'd said. The way she'd acted. She hated herself. She went to the small table and sat down, staring at the card as if it held the answers she craved.