Gemotions

The envelope felt almost radioactive in Amelia’s hands. She knew what was inside. She’d seen it peeking out from under a pile of bills on the kitchen counter. A crisp, white envelope with the return address of a literary agent. It could only be one thing.

She tore it open with a flourish, her pulse quickening with each movement. A rejection letter. But, tucked inside, a printed chapter from a novel. The title, "The Architect's Wife," was all it took.

Her eyes scanned the familiar prose, the setting a replica of their home. Every detail, down to the chipped paint on the window frames, was rendered with painful accuracy. A wave of excitement crashed over her. She knew she shouldn’t, but she couldn’t stop.

She read it twice, then a third time. She had to know how this played out. She had to know if he'd actually sent it off. She had to know what everyone else thought.