Gemotions

"Anything I can help you with, son?" The shop owner's voice was a low growl, like a trapped animal. Ethan just shook his head. He'd been aimlessly drifting for days, unable to shake off the oppressive feeling of obligation and duty. His future was mapped out, a straight line he couldn't deviate from.

He was supposed to be at his parents’ house, discussing the engagement. He couldn't face them.

He saw the ring. The same delicate, swirling design. The same small ruby, his grandmother’s. He knew, with a sudden certainty, that the weight of the past was dragging him under.

He asked to see it, the words a struggle. It felt like a physical exertion to speak. The ring, when he held it, felt like a shackle. He bought it, and as he walked away, a sense of… something, something new, washed over him, a cold sense.