Gemotions

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee, usually a comfort, now assaulted his senses. He felt a constant, dull ache in his chest, a physical manifestation of the loss he was experiencing. He found himself staring at the picture on his desk – a photo of him and the woman he'd thought he would spend his life with. He blinked away the sting behind his eyes.

He watched the trainee, a young man who reminded him of his younger self. The trainee didn't know the story. He didn't know the secrets. He knew nothing of the hurt.

"And that's the procedure for… processing the invoices," he said, his voice flat and unenthusiastic. The words felt like lead in his mouth. He looked at the window and felt a deep, empty loneliness, a hollowness that echoed through his entire being.