Gemotions

He didn’t even recognize the handwriting at first. Then the floodgates opened, and the reality of what he was holding hit him with a force that knocked the wind from his lungs. The letter, penned to a former lover, was filled with passionate declarations of love, promises of forever, and a desperate plea to reconcile.

A bitter taste flooded his mouth. The man he'd become, the cynicism that had settled over him in the intervening years, made him want to retch. He felt a profound sense of self-loathing. His chest tightened.

His gaze traced the familiar words, each one a phantom stab. He sat heavily in his chair, the letter clutched in his sweaty hand, feeling like a stranger to himself. The vulnerability, the openness… It felt like looking at a stranger's soul.