Gemotions

The phone slipped from Elias's grasp, clattering onto the hardwood floor. He snatched it up, fingers fumbling with the screen. He hadn’t meant to send it. Not to *her*. His heart hammered a frantic tattoo against his ribs. The message, a simple "See you soon," hung in the air, a digital accusation. He looked around the sterile white of the hospital room, the rhythmic beeping of the machines amplifying his mounting unease.

His breath hitched as he stared at the words, the casual greeting a betrayal of his carefully constructed façade. His palms grew slick, and he wiped them on his jeans. The air felt thick, heavy, making it difficult to breathe. He imagined her reply, the icy words he knew would follow.