Gemotions

"It's just feedback," her friend, Sarah, had said, her voice brimming with irritating optimism. But for Ethan, it was a death sentence. The dream, the burning desire to see his words in print, to connect with readers—it was all extinguished in a single sentence. He retreated into himself, avoiding calls, canceling plans. He stayed in his apartment for days, the blinds drawn, the world outside a blurry, irrelevant spectacle. He found himself staring at his reflection, the face in the mirror a stranger, someone he no longer recognized, with no place to go.