Gemotions

He found the letter tucked amidst a pile of unpaid bills. The crisp white envelope, stark against the drab browns and greens of the rest, seemed to mock him. His stomach twisted, a familiar, unwelcome sensation. He’d been trying, for weeks, to push away the darkness that had settled over him after his wife’s accident. This… this felt like a fresh wave, threatening to submerge him again.

He let the letter drop onto the floor. The simple, elegant script of his father's lawyer. A sibling. Someone he’d never seen, never spoken to. An absence in his life, now defined. He began to pace the room, each footfall echoing the hollow space inside him. His throat felt tight, and swallowing was a painful effort.

He wanted to scream. He wanted to shatter something. Instead, he just grabbed his jacket and slammed the door behind him. The air outside was cold, but it felt better than the oppressive stillness of the house. He walked for hours, until his legs ached, until the setting sun began to paint the sky in hues of melancholy.