Gemotions

The new house felt... sterile. All pristine white walls and gleaming hardwood floors. For Liam, it felt like an insult to his aesthetic sensibilities. He preferred character, patina, a sense of history. He had walked through the property feeling a simmering irritation, a sense of being patronized.

He was examining the library. The perfectly symmetrical bookshelves looked artificial, untouched. He ran his hand along the back of one, and found that the panel wasn't fixed. A barely perceptible give.

Behind the panel was a small, cluttered room. Filled with expensive, modern art he could never understand. He stared at the paintings, an emotion like ice spreading through him. They clearly thought he wouldn't notice. They'd assumed he was just a clueless buyer, easily impressed by the superficial.