Gemotions

The humid air of the house seemed to press down on Margaret. She had been scrubbing the kitchen floor, a task she usually found therapeutic. Today, it only fueled the churn in her stomach. A casual glance at Leo’s phone, left carelessly on the counter, had revealed the account. Not *his* account, the carefully curated, public-facing Leo. A private one, full of a life she didn’t recognize.

Her chest constricted. She finished the floor, the damp cloth leaving a trail she immediately despised. Leo had been quieter lately, withdrawn. Now she understood. All those hours spent locked in his room, not with homework, but with this other world. A world that didn’t include her.

She found him in the garage, tinkering with his bike. He looked up, his face breaking into a smile she no longer trusted. “Everything alright, Mom?” He asked, a glint in his eye she found irritating. She wanted to scream, to lash out, but instead, she just nodded.

“Yeah. Just…finished cleaning.” She turned and headed back inside, the slam of the screen door echoing the finality in her heart.