Gemotions

He had been planning to propose under the old oak, to share the news of his engagement under the shade of it's branches. He had picked out the date, the ring, everything. He had rehearsed it a thousand times, each time picturing her face lit up with joy. Now... he didn't know what to do.

He walked over to the place where it used to be. The clean cut, the fresh wood, the way the sunlight hit, it was all wrong. He ran his hand over the sawed-off stump, the rough wood snagging his fingertips. The world narrowed to this point, to this solitary, brutal symbol of the life he'd imagined.

He felt a knot tighten in his stomach, a knot that threatened to choke the air from his lungs. He felt paralyzed, unable to move, unable to speak, unable to breathe. All his plans, everything he had hoped for, felt shattered. He was left with nothing but a void.