Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows of the solicitor's office, mirroring the turmoil inside Mark. He stared at the photograph – his father, beaming, holding a stack of cash. The inheritance was stark: his sister, Sarah, received the family home, a comfortable Victorian with a sprawling garden. He'd gotten the family business, deeply in debt and teetering on the brink of collapse.

He fiddled with the worn strap of his briefcase, the leather digging into his palm. He'd tried to convince Sarah to take the business, pleaded with her to see the potential, but she'd refused, citing her “need for stability.”

He pictured Sarah, standing in the doorway of the house, a serene smile on her face. That afternoon, the weight of his father’s final, unspoken expectation pressed down on him with a force that made his breath catch in his throat. He felt the phantom pinch of his father’s disappointment, a constant, nagging ache.