Gemotions

He slammed the front door, the sound echoing through the empty apartment. He ripped off his tie, throwing it onto the already cluttered coffee table. He was going to spend the evening wallowing, that much was certain. He’d grabbed a used copy of *Moby Dick* off the shelf, something to distract himself from the gnawing emptiness.

As he flipped through the chapters, seeking escape, a thin piece of paper fluttered out. A photograph. A grainy black and white image of a woman, smiling radiantly, her eyes crinkling at the corners. He stared at it, a coldness spreading through him. The woman, he knew, had been loved deeply, in a way he’d never experienced. His throat tightened, a bitter knot of resentment forming in his stomach.