Gemotions

He stared at the invitation, tracing the embossed lettering with his finger. A bitter laugh escaped him. His life, a carefully constructed illusion, was about to be exposed. He hadn't seen any of these people in years.

He tossed the invitation on the table, and went for a long walk. The sun was going down, and the shadows grew long. Everything was a lie, he thought. A complete sham.

The crisp autumn air did nothing to clear his head. He'd never been good enough. The reunion felt like a reckoning. The fear in his gut was a physical thing, a constant reminder of his perceived inadequacy.