The judgmental stares replayed in his mind, each one cutting deeper than the last. He could still hear the whispers, the snickers, the heavy sighs. “They think I’m a failure,” he thought bitterly. “Maybe they’re right.”
Jacob stayed there for what felt like an eternity, the cold seeping into his bones as he struggled to collect himself. He couldn’t go back into the store—not now, not after what had just happened. But the thought of going home empty-handed was just as unbearable.