Gemotions

The party was supposed to be a celebration, a pre-publication soiree for a fellow author. Instead, it felt like a staged humiliation. Sarah saw the editor who rejected her manuscript smiling and chatting, oblivious to the anguish she felt. She forced a smile, the muscles in her face aching.

Each cheerful conversation, each word of praise heaped on the other author, was like a needle prick. She felt a burning sensation in her eyes, a familiar feeling that she fought to control.

She excused herself and went outside, the cool night air doing little to soothe the tightness in her chest.