Gemotions

The congratulatory text from Daniel arrived just as Emily was reaching for a stale bagel. Congratulations, she read. So thrilled to get the job! Her stomach lurched. The bagel suddenly seemed impossible to swallow.

She threw the bagel away. The joy radiating from Daniel's message felt like a physical blow. She felt a profound sense of… emptiness. The air in her small apartment felt thick, stagnant.

She cancelled her evening plans, claiming a headache. Instead, she stared out the window, watching the city lights blur through her unshed tears. The job was just a job, she told herself. But it felt like so much more. Like everything.

The silence of the night was deafening. Every little noise felt like a mocking echo of what she wasn’t.