Gemotions

The eviction notice landed with a dull thud on the already cluttered desk, a final, crushing blow. Liam stared at it, his face a mask of disbelief. He reread the words, as if they would somehow change. They didn't. The words remained, a cold, hard fact staring back at him.

He pushed his chair back from his desk, the wheels scraping against the worn floorboards. He felt a knot tighten in his stomach. His hands trembled as he reached for his cigarettes. The smoke offered a fleeting sense of escape, but the relief was short-lived.

He stared at the walls of his apartment, at the books, the artwork, the mementos of a life he now felt was crumbling. He felt a wave of nausea, his vision blurring. He was being cast out, left with nothing but the clothes on his back.