Gemotions

“I hate your new haircut,” was the text. It was intended for her sister, a brutal assessment of the bangs that had recently appeared on her sister’s face. It went to her sister’s husband.

A chill ran through her. She felt like she'd stepped onto a stage in front of a thousand unforgiving eyes. She pictured her sister’s husband, a man known for his even temper, calmly reading the words.

She imagined the awkward family dinners, the carefully worded conversations. She wanted to run, to hide, to pretend she had never existed.