Gemotions

He was at a wedding. Champagne, laughter, the rhythmic thump of music. Then, a cousin, a distant relative he barely knew, approached him. "Have you met your sister, Mark?" The woman standing beside the cousin smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. He felt a sudden, inexplicable need to retreat, to disappear. His throat closed up. The music seemed to fade, becoming a distant hum. The elegant ballroom, usually a place of joy, suddenly felt like a crowded, suffocating space. He stared at the woman, his mind struggling to process the impossible.