Gemotions

The old house creaked and groaned with the wind, a soundtrack to her internal turmoil. The air was thick with the ghosts of the past. Her mother had passed a few months back. Her mother’s life, as told to her, now seemed like a fantasy. She'd been going through old family albums, the images evoking a swirl of conflicting emotions.

One particular photo stopped her in her tracks. Her grandmother, radiant, with a man who was definitely not her grandfather. His expression was soft, his gaze filled with affection. It contradicted all the stories she'd been told. She felt a deep, aching emptiness, the kind that leaves you hollowed out. She clenched her fists until her knuckles were white.