Gemotions

He slammed the album shut, the sound echoing in the otherwise silent living room. The photographs, a testament to his grandfather's supposed self-made man status, were a cruel joke. He’d always painted a picture of struggle and perseverance, a rags-to-riches tale built on grit and determination.

But here, his grandfather, in crisp, expensive suits, posed with racehorses and luxurious automobiles. The man in the photographs wasn’t the stoic worker his grandmother always described; he was a playboy, a man fueled by something entirely different.

The lie hung heavy in the air, a suffocating blanket woven from years of carefully curated narratives. He rose, the tightness in his chest constricting his breath, and went to the liquor cabinet.