Gemotions

She found it tucked inside a greeting card, a list handwritten in a script she didn't recognize. "Start a business." "Learn to sail." "Be brave." Each word resonated with a quiet desperation. It was a secret world he'd never shared.

She felt a wave of confusion, then something close to anger. How could he keep this from her? She tossed the card aside, as if it were a poisonous thing. The air between them grew thick and heavy, each breath a struggle.

She spent the evening in the spare bedroom, the door closed, listening to the muffled sounds of the television in the living room. Her voice was unusually curt when they spoke at all.