Gemotions

The office felt smaller, the walls closing in. She felt a palpable pressure building inside her chest, a physical weight. "Okay, so the first step is always to verify the customer's account details," she said, her voice barely a whisper. She was training Michael, and her heart sank with each passing hour.

The presentation she had spent weeks crafting, the one she had thought would define her, seemed so trivial now. Michael nodded, eager to learn. He asked questions, intelligent questions, and she found herself answering them automatically, going through the motions. The words felt like sandpaper against her throat.

She excused herself early, citing a headache. As she walked the long, empty corridor, the weight did not lift.