Gemotions

The attic stairs groaned beneath Maya’s weight as she hauled the trunk down. Her heart thumped a relentless rhythm against her ribs. She was supposed to be honoring her Aunt Clara's memory, but she felt only a dull ache of irritation.

The photos revealed a different Aunt Clara. The saintly, self-sacrificing woman of family legend. Here, she was laughing, dancing, and travelling the world. There were pictures of her with men she’d never mentioned. A life she never spoke of.

Maya ran her fingers across a photograph of her aunt, beaming, leaning against a sports car. She felt a knot of resentment tighten in her chest, a bitter taste rising in her mouth. She'd known her aunt to be reserved, quiet, even lonely. This vibrant woman in the photographs was someone she didn't recognize, and she hated the implications.