Gemotions

The sterile white walls of the waiting room pressed in on her. Each passing minute felt like an eternity. She needed to escape, to get away from the thoughts that swirled in her head.

She picked up a discarded paperback novel. A bookmark, a pressed leaf, and a small, folded piece of paper fluttered out. It was a recipe for a simple cake, written in a loving hand. Beside the recipe, a note: *Bake it with love.*

The image of someone carefully measuring ingredients, the act of creation, the joy of sharing… it was a potent reminder of the simple things, the warmth that was missing from her life. She blinked back tears, her breath catching in her throat, the words on the paper a stark contrast to her sense of isolation.