Gemotions

The news arrived via a handwritten letter tucked into a bill. Eleanor’s hands shook as she opened it, the stationery expensive, the handwriting elegant but unfamiliar. It detailed the existence of a son, a boy her father had never mentioned.

Eleanor dropped the letter onto the counter, the crisp paper falling with a soft thud that echoed in the sudden silence of the kitchen. Her legs felt like they were filled with lead.

She picked up the letter again, her gaze fixated on the elegant script. She reread the words, as if by reading them again she could somehow change the truth. A chill crept up her spine, even though the room was warm.