Gemotions

The ballroom seemed impossibly bright, the music too loud. Sarah navigated the crowded room, her movements slow, deliberate. She kept bumping into people, muttering apologies.

Her mother, radiant in a shimmering gown, caught her eye. Sarah managed a weak smile, but her heart was miles away. The noise felt like a physical assault. She needed to sit down, to be still.

Her gaze drifted to the buffet table, the array of food blurring before her. The thought of interacting, of making small talk, of delivering the speech… it was too much. Her energy had vanished.