Gemotions

The restaurant buzzed with laughter, but he heard only the hum of unease inside his own head. He watched her, across the table, as she scrolled through her phone. He’d seen her do it before, taking these secret calls. The way she angled her body away from him made him feel like a stranger.

His appetite vanished. He picked at his food, the flavors fading into a bland nothingness. He had always relied on her presence, her affection. The calls had begun to unravel the fragile security he had constructed.

He felt a deep sense of vulnerability, a profound uncertainty. The fear of being abandoned, of being left alone, gnawed at him. The thought of losing her was a physical pain, a hollowness that threatened to swallow him whole.