Gemotions

The wedding, with its manicured lawns and forced gaiety, was a torment. Liam, now a stranger, was dancing with another woman, a look of effortless joy on his face that felt like a betrayal. His eyes met Grace’s for a moment, and passed on.

The champagne, which she usually loved, tasted like poison. The expensive floral arrangements, a riot of colours, seemed garish and overblown. He felt her stomach clench.

She stumbled towards the exit, the music throbbing in her head, the image of him, happy without her, a brand seared into her memory.