Gemotions

The sight of the bear stopped Richard in his tracks. He stared at it, frozen. It was *his*, the one he'd lost during his parents' divorce. Now, his stepmother, the woman who had replaced his mother, was selling it. He felt his hands clench into fists.

He wanted to scream, to lash out, but he held it back. He would play the game. "I'm interested in the bear," he said, his voice carefully controlled. He paid the price, a small sum, a mere pittance for the years of pain. He would make the woman pay, every single day. The bear would serve as a constant reminder of everything she took.