Gemotions

The elevator bell chimed, announcing her arrival on her floor, but Lisa lingered in the car, suddenly unable to move. She pressed the button again, just to keep the doors from opening. She couldn't bring herself to face them.

The knowledge hung like a shroud over her, a heavy cloak she couldn't shrug off. The whispers, the emails, the hushed conversations - it had all come to fruition. The company was being sold, and with it, her sense of belonging.

Her chest felt tight, constricted. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to contain the tears that threatened to spill over. When she finally exited the elevator, she walked slowly down the hallway, her head bowed. The faces of her colleagues, once familiar and comforting, now seemed distant, unknown.