Gemotions

The photograph of Elias Thorne, smiling and holding a signed copy of his book, stared back at Marcus from the desktop screen. It was a picture Marcus had proudly displayed, his own face beaming with joy. Now, the image seemed to taunt him. The accusations against Thorne, the evidence piling up, had fractured the foundations of Marcus’s world.

He felt a deep ache in his chest, a constant pressure that made it hard to breathe. He wanted to scream, to lash out, but the emotion was trapped within him, a silent scream.

He closed the lid of his laptop with a snap. The silence in his apartment felt deafening. He felt adrift, untethered, and terribly, terribly alone. He felt a chill despite the warmth in the room.