Gemotions

The presentation had just ended. He watched the crowd congratulate Liam. He felt a deep, dull pain, a slow-burning ache that spread through his chest. The concept was identical, mirroring all of his work and research. The feeling was a hollow, empty void. All of it. All of their work.

He found himself wandering the library, the hushed atmosphere doing little to calm the turmoil inside him. He pulled a volume of poetry from the shelf, but the words swam before his eyes. He couldn't concentrate, his thoughts a chaotic jumble.

He closed the book, running a hand over his face. He felt exposed, vulnerable, as if stripped of something essential. The betrayal was an internal storm.