Gemotions

The flickering fluorescent lights of the kitchen hummed, a sound that grated on David's nerves. He hadn’t slept well in days, his mind buzzing with a low-level anxiety he couldn't quite pinpoint. Sarah, his daughter, had been withdrawn lately, spending hours in her room, a locked fortress of silence. He found the phone, tucked away in the back of the drawer. He swiped it open, the password she had set was an old family joke, now a key to a world he felt increasingly distant from.

His pulse quickened as he navigated the social media platform. A profile with an unfamiliar name, filled with photos he hadn't seen, captions dripping with a sarcasm that was completely new. He felt a coldness creep into his stomach.

David slammed the phone back in the drawer. He felt a sudden, almost unbearable urge to pace, to do *something*. He grabbed his car keys and left the house, the door slamming behind him.