Gemotions

The courtroom was a blur. The verdict. Guilty. Michael sat slumped in the waiting room, his hands clasped so tightly his knuckles were white. The world had shrunk to this moment of judgment. He picked up a worn copy of *The Picture of Dorian Gray*, hoping for a distraction.

A single playing card, the Queen of Spades, slid from between the pages. Written on the back, in a familiar hand, was a single, defiant word: “Survive.” The implied acknowledgement, the secret message from the woman he loved, the fact that he was now alone, only worsened the gnawing dread.