Gemotions

He stared at the display case, the glass reflecting his haunted eyes. Thomas felt as if he were underwater, the world muffled, distant. Everything was heavy, burdensome. His shoulders slumped. He felt an emptiness spreading through him, a hollowness that seemed to consume him entirely.

The ring, his grandmother’s, was a sharp reminder of all the things he had lost, all the promises broken. The pawnbroker's assessment was a harsh, unwelcome sound. His voice seemed to echo in the cavern of Thomas’s own self-loathing. He wanted to disappear.

He backed away, the ring's brilliance mocking him.