Gemotions

The dusty safe in the attic. Sarah hadn't even known it was there. She tapped in the numbers she found scrawled on a scrap of paper in her late husband, Frank's, desk drawer. The door clicked open with a metallic groan, revealing stacks of crisp, new bills. Her hands started to tremble.

She’d spent decades worrying about their bills, stretching every dollar. He’d let her. He’d allowed her to struggle. A knot formed in her stomach, a bitter taste rising in her mouth. She pulled a chair over and sat heavily, a sudden, unfamiliar weariness settling over her. The silence of the attic amplified her racing heartbeat.