Gemotions

The news punched the wind from his lungs. He sat down abruptly, the chair scraping against the hardwood floor. He felt a cold dread creep into his bones, chilling him from the inside out.

He couldn’t bring himself to look at Mark, whose face, usually so animated, now held a tentative, awkward expression. The comfortable hum of their living room, usually a haven, felt suffocating.

He wanted to scream, to lash out, to deny. Instead, he simply stared at the floor, the intricate patterns of the rug blurring before his eyes. It felt like the world was shifting beneath his feet.