Gemotions

The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the empty living room. Carol held the letter, addressed to her deceased father, a confession of her youthful mistakes. The words, so painfully honest, now felt like a betrayal of the life she’d carefully constructed. Her fingers started to tingle. She wished she was anywhere but there.

She re-read the words, each sentence a blow. She felt the tears welling in her eyes, the shame burning in her chest. She wanted to crumple the letter and throw it away, to pretend it had never existed. The silence of the house was a suffocating shroud.

She looked out the window, at the fading light. The world seemed distant, unreal. She clutched the letter to her chest, the paper crinkling in her grasp. The house was too quiet, too empty. She was all alone.