Gemotions

He stared at his reflection, the face in the mirror a stranger. It was supposed to be a check-up, a routine visit. Instead, it was an unveiling of a life he never knew, a future he didn't choose. Mark felt as if his skin had become too tight. He was struggling for space.

He ran his hands over his face, trying to ground himself in something tangible. The weight of the other patient’s medical history, the treatments, the possible outcomes—all of it pressed down on him. A relentless pressure squeezed his chest.

The air in his apartment felt stale and stagnant. He needed to get out, to move, to escape this feeling of being locked in a predetermined destiny. The city outside, once a source of comfort, now seemed to mock his helplessness, its endless avenues stretching out like inescapable chains.