Gemotions

The envelope, sealed with a heart-shaped sticker, felt heavy in her hand. Sarah's breath hitched as she traced the familiar loops of her younger self's handwriting. She’d unearthed it from a forgotten drawer while cleaning out her late husband's belongings. The letter was addressed to him, full of youthful dreams and a confession of vulnerabilities. A wave of unease crashed over her.

Her palms began to sweat. The air in the sunroom, usually filled with the scent of lilies and morning coffee, felt thick and suffocating. She felt a need to break contact, like a fragile bird caught in a storm. She re-read her words, and they felt hollow.

She had built a life, a world, away from the person that wrote the letter. A coldness settled into her stomach as she imagined the potential consequences of revealing the truth. She looked around the sunroom, desperately searching for a place to hide. The cheerful colors of the room seemed to mock her unease.