Gemotions

He carefully tore the invitation in half, then again, and again, until it was just a pile of confetti on his desk. Each tear was deliberate, each gesture filled with a quiet, seething energy. He did not say a word out loud.

A knot formed in his stomach. He didn’t want to see them. He didn’t want to hear about their perfect lives, their successful careers, their perfect families. He had painstakingly built a wall between himself and that part of his past.

He felt the familiar throb behind his temples. He just wanted to be left alone. All he wanted was peace from all of them and everything they represented. He tossed the shredded remains into the trash, the metal clanging softly in the otherwise silent room.