Gemotions

The library was supposed to be a sanctuary, but today, it felt like another cage. Ms. Chen hunched over a pile of student papers, her shoulders drawn up tight, as if shielding herself from unseen blows. Each misspelled word, each incomplete sentence, was a fresh wound. A student, a former student, approached her, hesitant. “Mrs. Chen?”

He placed a small, wrapped box on the table. “I… I know it’s been a while.” He fidgeted, avoiding eye contact. Inside the box, a small, worn photograph of the two of them, taken at a school trip, with a note: "I hope you are doing well." She couldn't breathe. The photo was a taunt. A whisper of what she'd lost. She couldn’t look at him.