Gemotions

The world narrowed to the small, illuminated screen of her phone. The text message: “Did you see Emily’s salary? Seriously?” Her vision went blurry. Her throat closed. A wave of dizziness nearly made her stumble.

She retreated to the restroom, the tiled space suddenly the only refuge. Leaning against the cool porcelain, she took deep, ragged breaths, struggling to regain control. The implications hit her with the force of a physical blow. All those late nights, all the extra effort, the years of experience – meaningless.

She replayed the conversation with her supervisor from last week; a half-truth about company budgeting. The lie now felt like a punch in the gut. The familiar scent of hand soap triggered a fresh wave of anxiety. She felt like she was trapped in a box, slowly, inevitably shrinking.