Gemotions

The safe. She'd never known he had a safe. The combination, discovered quite by accident, opened to reveal stacks of cash and an account ledger. Her husband, Henry, had built a financial fortress, and she hadn’t been invited inside. A tremor ran through her body, a wave of nausea washing over her.

She felt a sudden urge to scream, to lash out. The carefully curated decor of their home, the symbols of their shared life, suddenly felt like a facade. The air grew thick and hard to breathe.

She slammed the safe door shut, the metal clanging in the silence. She needed to escape, to be alone, to process the shock. Grabbing her coat and keys, she was out of the door before the shock wore off.