Gemotions

The email notification popped up: "Your Childhood Home Now Listed!" For Peter, it was a reminder of all he had *not* achieved. He glared at the screen, the pictures showcasing a remodeled interior, a lush garden, and a finished basement. He'd always dreamed of a life like that; a large house in a good neighborhood, a family, a sense of belonging.

He picked up his phone and called his brother, who lived in a much nicer house. "Did you see it? The old place?" he asked, his voice strained. He heard his brother's chuckle and abruptly ended the call.

That night, he stared at the worn, rented apartment, the peeling wallpaper, the cheap furniture, the echoes of his own failures. He imagined the new owners, their laughter, their ease. He could not.