Gemotions

The old photographs lay scattered across the table, each image a painful reminder. He picked up one, a faded picture of the two of them, younger, carefree. His throat tightened. He couldn’t breathe. He felt a deep hollowness, a wound that throbbed with every beat of his heart.

He closed his eyes, trying to conjure the scent of the summer air, the echo of their laughter. But the images blurred, the memories faded, like sand slipping through his fingers. He felt the cold seep through his bones.

He pushed the photos away, a sense of crushing defeat washing over him. The past was gone, irretrievable.