Gemotions

The morning sunlight sliced through the blinds, a brazen intrusion. Amelia swatted at the alarm clock, silencing the infernal beeping. It was going to be one of *those* days. She dragged herself out of bed, the low groan of her joints a familiar complaint. The stale air in the kitchen clung to her, a suffocating blanket.

She slammed the coffee pot onto the burner, the clatter echoing in the otherwise silent house. A crumpled bank statement lay on the counter, a stray piece of mail she hadn't bothered to open. Now, it had her attention. The name at the top, her husband, Harold, was a punch in the gut.

Her vision narrowed as she scanned the document. A savings account. Thousands of dollars. Thousands of dollars she hadn't known about. A vein in her forehead throbbed. She ground her teeth, the coffee now sputtering.