Gemotions

The cramped living room felt smaller than usual, the air thick with unspoken grief. Michael slammed the list onto the coffee table, the sound echoing in the sudden silence. *Learn to cook.* *Visit Italy.* *Tell my children I love them.* The last one...it was a betrayal.

He kicked the coffee table, wincing as the impact sent a jolt of pain through his foot. He could feel the pulse in his temples, the heat radiating from his cheeks.

He paced the room, his hands clenched into fists. His mother had never told him she loved him. He hadn't heard the words since he was a child. He felt like he had been punched, winded and helpless.