Gemotions

The photograph, tucked inside the envelope, landed with a soft *thud* on the table. David stared at it, his throat suddenly tight. It was a picture of him, younger, happier, with the man who had written the letter. A wave of heat flushed his cheeks. The air in the room seemed to constrict, making it hard to take a breath. It was a wound he’d believed was closed, now bleeding again.

He slammed his fist on the table, making the picture jump. His knuckles were white. He had worked so hard to put the past behind him, to build a new life, free from the shadow of that betrayal. He felt a fresh surge of the feeling he had tried to bury so deep. The familiar tension gathered in his shoulders. He stalked to the window, staring out at the rain-swept street.