Gemotions

The bustling marketplace, usually a source of energy for Clara, felt overwhelming. The cacophony of vendors hawking their wares grated on her nerves. She picked at a piece of fruit, the sweetness doing nothing to lift her spirits. A letter, received in the morning, sat unopened in her bag.

The apology, written by a childhood friend, was a ghost of a past she was trying to forget. The betrayal had been shattering, costing her a relationship she had deeply valued. Now, the past was suddenly there again. She felt a familiar hollowness, a desert within her chest. She wanted to retreat, to vanish in the crowd.