Gemotions

My palms grew slick as I stared at the screen. My son, Liam, had a whole other life. A different name, a different group of friends, a different…everything. I felt a stinging sensation behind my eyes. I shouldn't have snooped.

I slammed the tablet onto the kitchen counter, the sound making me jump. A wave of heat washed over me, a physical manifestation of my discomfort. What would he think if he knew?

I avoided Liam's gaze at dinner, pretending to be engrossed in my mashed potatoes. His casual chatter about school felt distant, like a foreign language I no longer understood. I could not meet his eyes, or the feeling in my stomach would get worse.