Gemotions

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee usually soothed Amelia, but today it was doing the opposite, churning in her stomach. She stared at the sleek, black business card clutched in her hand. "Chief Financial Officer, Sterling Dynamics." Liam. Liam, who’d been telling everyone he worked at a small, family-owned bookstore. Her jaw ached. She’d always admired his quiet competence, his calm demeanor. This… this was not the Liam she knew.

She replayed their phone call from this morning, his voice a little too breezy, a little too quick to hang up. "Gotta run, important meeting." Now it made sense. Meetings. Not shelving books. The carefully curated, vintage aesthetic of his apartment mocked her; a life financed by something other than late-night book sales.

Amelia ran a hand through her hair, finding a tension headache already forming. She wondered if she should confront him. How could she? What would she even *say*? The sheer audacity of it left her feeling oddly lightheaded. She needed air. Now.