Gemotions

The antique shop was usually a sanctuary. But today, the dust motes dancing in the sunbeams only seemed to amplify the disquiet within him. He ran a hand over a tarnished silver locket, its coldness a stark contrast to the heat in his cheeks. The revelation of his half-sister made him feel exposed.

He'd always prided himself on his control, his ability to plan. Now, a random woman, a piece of his father’s past, had upset the carefully constructed order of his life. He felt a profound sense of loss, not of anything he had known, but of something he thought he understood.

He closed the locket, the click echoing in the stillness. He had a sudden urge to break something, to shatter the placid surface of his existence. He walked out without buying anything.