Gemotions

The stale air of the office felt thick, stifling. Margaret found herself staring at the computer screen, the meaningless data blurring before her eyes. The endless cycle of work, bills, and loneliness had become a crushing burden. She walked home, head bowed, when she saw a wallet discarded on the sidewalk.

She flipped it open, her breath catching in her throat. The money was obscene. She held the wallet in her hands and considered what she could do with it. The fantasy of liberation, of escape, of a different life flashed through her mind like a firework display. She felt a profound ache inside.