Gemotions

Rain hammered against the window, mimicking the relentless thud in Arthur's chest. He stared at the book, propped open on the kitchen table. *Arthur Finch: A Portrait of Resilience*. The words seemed to mock him, the carefully chosen phrases a cruel caricature of his life.

He’d been trying, for months, to simply breathe. To find a reason to rise in the morning. Now this. His knuckles were white against the worn wood as he turned the page, each paragraph a fresh assault.

The phone rang, shattering the fragile quiet. It was his sister. He ignored it, the sound a discordant note in a symphony of despair. He closed the book, the metallic click of the cover a final, decisive sound. He felt leaden, the weight of the book and the implied life it detailed pressing upon him.