Gemotions

He held the book, *Her Crimson Smile*, its pages filled with his own story, told in her voice. He sat on the edge of the bed, the familiar mattress suddenly feeling hard and cold beneath him. He looked around the bedroom they had once shared, the room now seeming unfamiliar and strange.

He felt a deep, pervasive sadness that settled in his bones. He knew, with a chilling certainty, that he had lost something precious. The world felt muted, drained of color. He sat there, unable to move, unable to think.

He waited.