Gemotions

The envelope felt heavy in her hand. Inside were snapshots, carefully preserved. She had expected to find a glimpse of her grandmother’s youth, a time before the bitterness, before the endless complaints. Instead, she found him. Her grandfather, the stern, unyielding man who always spoke in clipped tones. He was laughing in every photo, his arm around a woman who wasn't her grandmother. The images were vibrant, full of light, a stark contrast to the shadowy existence her grandmother had endured. She squeezed her eyes shut, a knot forming in her stomach. The lie, the deceit, felt like a physical blow. She kicked the wastebasket across the room.