Gemotions

He sank onto the floor, the cardboard box heavy in his lap. The spare bedroom, usually a haven, felt suffocating. He’d barely slept in days, the weight of his responsibilities pressing down on him. The floorboards creaked under his weight.

Flipping through the brittle pages of the family album, he came across a photograph of his father, the esteemed doctor, posing playfully with a group of boisterous men in a dimly lit bar. The tale he’d been told was of a man of impeccable character, devoted to his studies and his family.

A strange tightness gripped his chest. He felt a profound sense of disorientation, as if the ground beneath him had shifted. He knew he should continue, but he lacked the energy.