Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windowpane, mirroring the turmoil brewing inside him. He had found the letter tucked away in a dusty drawer of his late wife’s writing desk. Addressed to her ex-lover, it spoke of a love that he never knew existed, a passion he was never able to ignite.

He read each word carefully, his jaw clenched, the veins in his neck bulging. The words were a sharp stab to his pride, an indictment of his own inadequacies. He crumpled the letter slowly, enjoying the way his knuckles turned white. Then, carefully, deliberately, he placed it under the heavy glass ashtray, like a captured insect. He sat back, watching the rain blur the world outside, and felt a strange calm settle over him.