Gemotions

The flickering fluorescent lights in the office seemed to pulse in time with Amelia's racing heartbeat. Another deadline loomed, the spreadsheets screamed for her attention, and the coffee was doing little to calm the internal tremors that shook her. She reached for the book on her nightstand, a familiar comfort. Lately, sleep was a battlefield. It was her partner, Leo's novel. She’d found it hidden under the bed. It was a thinly veiled account of their relationship, but it portrayed her as an obsessive, controlling woman.

She slammed the book shut, the sound echoing in the otherwise silent apartment. Her jaw clenched. The revelation had stolen her appetite, turned her stomach into a tight knot. The words in his manuscript, her portrayal in it, replayed relentlessly in her mind. Her gaze fell on the half-eaten bowl of cereal on the table.

She picked up the spoon, only to put it down again. The cereal held no appeal.