Gemotions

He saw the building, his building, with her name above the door. Her name, replacing his. He felt a deep, wrenching pain in his chest, a physical manifestation of his internal turmoil.

Years of dedication, of hard work, of tireless effort, all erased, replaced. He could barely breathe. He gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white.

He parked across the street, unable to bring himself to enter. He stared at the gleaming facade, the victory of the other, and the emptiness of his own defeat, a raw and consuming ache.