Short Story: Bravery in Living

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The Shape of Nowhere

Betty had always been good at living in the spaces in between. She existed in the gap between childhood and adulthood, between daydreams and reality, between friendships that promised to last forever and those that quietly slipped away, like books left unfinished.

At 29, she lived in a small Indiana town where autumn air was crisp, summers were sticky, and the in-betweens felt just a little too quiet.

But Betty didn’t mind the quiet. In fact, she liked it.

To the outside world, Betty’s life looked like a quirky, carefully curated mosaic. She had a tiny goldendoodle that everyone adored, and a cat that hated everything except her. Her husband, Ken, was her rock — steady and supportive, grounding her in a way that made the world seem less overwhelming.

She was a leader in her technical team, a rising star at work, and her Instagram painted the picture of a well-balanced life: sunrises, yoga flows, cozy moments with pets, and Ken’s reassuring smile.

Picture-perfect, from the right angle.

But beneath the carefully arranged snapshots of her life was a secret she didn’t share with anyone: fear.

Emetophobia — an all-consuming fear of vomiting — had quietly taken up residence in Betty’s life for as…