Gemotions

The lawyer had sent the letter. It was from her father, the father who had abandoned her, then left her with his debts. Amelia sat in the sterile waiting room, the fluorescent lights making her head ache. Her whole world had been meticulously constructed around the lack. The lack of love, the lack of support, the lack of a family.

She'd built a fortress of resentment. The walls were high, the moat filled with bitterness. The letter was a battering ram, threatening to tear down the carefully constructed defenses. It was all she had ever known, all she felt secure in.

She clutched her handbag. The lawyer called her name. Amelia got up and walked forward, her footsteps echoing in the empty hall.