Gemotions

The ad was bright, cheerful, promising a "fresh start" for some lucky family. Sarah clicked through the pictures, each one a stab of cold air in her gut. She’d spent her childhood in that house, a time now viewed through rose-tinted glasses.

She felt a sudden urge to buy it, to reclaim her past. "Maybe we should move," she muttered to her husband, Mark.

Mark, engrossed in his phone, barely looked up. "Where? We just got the renovation finished."

Her breath hitched. The renovation. The perfectly organized pantry. The new, state-of-the-art kitchen. Her life was... good. But the sight of that house, gleaming and ready for a new chapter, triggered an unfamiliar ache. She retreated to the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face, and trying to dispel a feeling she couldn't name.