Gemotions

He’d known her for twenty years. Twenty years! And this… this betrayal. Michael gripped the phone, the cheap plastic digging into his palm. "So, just like that?" The question was a low growl, barely audible. Across the line, David’s voice, breezy and nonchalant, described the new job, the new city, the new life.

A vein throbbed in Michael’s temple. The sunlight streaming through the window seemed to mock him, highlighting the dust motes dancing in the air. He wanted to crush the phone, to silence the cheerful voice that was casually dismantling their shared history. His breath hitched, shallow and rapid.

"I can't believe this," he muttered, more to himself than to David. "After all this time…” The sentence trailed off, unfinished, choked by the sudden, overwhelming pressure in his chest. A sudden wave of intense heat washed over his face, as if he'd been standing in direct sunlight.