Gemotions

The sterile white walls of the hospital room felt suffocating. Liam clutched the drawing his nephew, Finn, had made. It was a perfect depiction of his childhood friend, a small, furry creature with a crooked grin named Sparkle.

Liam had stifled Sparkle's existence in order to be taken seriously. That act, that rejection, was a persistent echo in his life, and now here was Sparkle again, a testament to what he'd discarded. He'd traded his friend for success, for respect. But the emptiness he felt now was a constant reminder.

He looked at the drawing, a fresh wave of something akin to sadness washing over him. He felt hollow, as though he'd abandoned a piece of himself. He sat down heavily, the weight of the past settling upon him.