Gemotions

The sun was shining far too brightly, she thought, and the birds were chirping with irritating cheer. The house. It was just a house. But the email, with its cheerful subject line, had completely ruined her morning. Chloe stared at the listing, each photograph a fresh wound.

She felt a strange, suffocating pressure in her chest. The pristine white walls, the sleek furniture… it was all so devoid of the life that had once filled those rooms. She wanted to smash something.

Instead, she stood up and walked into the kitchen, grabbing the cleaning supplies. She would scrub the counters until they sparkled, until the anger in her chest subsided.