Gemotions

The discovery left him feeling adrift. Michael had always leaned on his daughter, Emily, for emotional support. Now, the glossy, airbrushed reality presented by the secret account made him feel like he was standing on the edge of a precipice, with no way down but a long fall.

He’d scrolled through the pictures, each one a pang of envy mixed with a painful sense of exclusion. Emily with her friends. Emily at parties. Emily, seemingly, living a life separate from his own. His chest ached.

"Emily," he managed, his voice barely a breath. "Why didn’t you tell me about this?" He gestured weakly at the phone in his hand.