Gemotions

"So, what do you think of the news?" The question, delivered with forced enthusiasm by his manager, made Michael's shoulders slump. He feigned a smile, but his jaw felt locked. He didn't think anything. He was letting the information sink into him.

He hated this forced positivity, this charade of excitement. The company picnic, the team-building exercises, the constant praise of the "family" atmosphere. It was all a lie, a smokescreen. He felt a profound sense of… bitterness, a slow-burning anger that threatened to boil over. He'd sacrificed so much. He'd even turned down another job.

He needed to get away, to clear his head. He excused himself, citing a pressing need to, well, *anything* other than be in the office, and escaped to the parking garage. The fluorescent lights overhead felt mocking.