Gemotions

The chipped ceramic mug felt heavy in Elias’s hand, the lukewarm coffee doing little to thaw the chill that permeated him. He watched Mrs. Gable through the blinds, her normally frumpy cardigan replaced by a cashmere coat. She was loading groceries into a gleaming silver Aston Martin. Elias’s stomach clenched. A car like that cost more than his entire house. A hollow ache settled in his chest, a constant pressure he couldn’t seem to dislodge since Sarah’s passing. He’d barely managed to keep the lawn mowed, let alone buy a new car.

His gaze flickered to the wilting roses Sarah had loved, now choked with weeds. He hadn't been able to bring himself to tend them.

He wondered if she'd ever known. Mrs. Gable's life of quiet opulence, hidden behind the neatly trimmed hedges and the polite smiles. Sarah always said Mrs. Gable was “nice enough.” Now, that niceness felt like a carefully constructed façade, a world away from the real life he had right now. He closed his eyes, the image of Sarah's face, etched forever in his mind, brought a fresh wave of that relentless pain.