Gemotions

The celebratory lunch the team had organised for their new hire was a disaster. He smiled and feigned enthusiasm, but the words felt hollow on his tongue. He knew the young man's starting salary was higher than his own. The irony wasn't lost on him.

He excused himself early, muttering something about a looming deadline. He walked the long, empty streets. The city lights blurred through his unshed tears. The joy he once found in his work had vanished, replaced by an unsettling…emptiness. He took a deep breath, the cold air doing little to soothe the ache in his chest.