Gemotions

He hadn't been back in five years. Now, here he was, staring at his parents' house. The key felt heavy in his hand. The move back was a surrender. A defeat. All the promises he'd made, the dreams he'd chased, lay shattered.

His father, a man of few words, greeted him with a curt nod. His mother's hug was strained, her eyes filled with a concern he couldn't bear to face. The house, once a haven, now felt like a prison.

He slumped onto the old couch in the living room, the cushions worn and familiar. He felt a profound sense of loss, a bottomless pit of something that resembled dread. He just wanted to disappear.