Gemotions

The sterile smell of the hospital lobby did nothing to soothe Maria's anxieties. The latest medical tests had come back inconclusive. A feeling of dread weighed her down, a sense of helplessness. It was a burden she carried every single moment. She fiddled with the strap of her handbag, a nervous habit. The world was too much.

She looked at the sign-up sheet, her heart pounding. The therapist's name. A cold wave of recognition washed over her. "Kevin Miller, LCSW." Kevin Miller. The boy who had relentlessly teased her in elementary school. The same Kevin Miller who had made every day a living hell. She wanted to bolt.