Gemotions

A cold dread coiled in Leo’s stomach. He’d arrived at the restaurant, ready for a romantic dinner with Maria, only to see her already seated, laughing with another man. The man, a stranger with familiar eyes, stopped mid-sentence when he saw Leo. Maria’s smile flickered, and her cheeks lost their color. The stranger's jovial demeanor vanished. Leo felt a bizarre pressure behind his eyes, a sensation like the world had tilted on its axis. He stood frozen in the doorway, the host’s cheerful greeting echoing in the sudden, deafening silence.