Gemotions

"Just... just go away," she whispered, her voice barely audible. Her sister, Sarah, stood in the doorway, concern etched on her face. The words felt like sandpaper against her throat. The carefully constructed facade of composure she'd maintained for weeks cracked.

She buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking. She could feel the familiar, unwelcome sting of tears behind her eyelids. She'd worked so hard, sacrificed so much. Now, it was all for nothing.

The rejection letter lay open on her desk, the cold words mocking her ambition. The room, once a haven of creativity, now felt like a prison. The silence was deafening, amplified by the drumming of her own heart in her ears.