Gemotions

The flickering light from the phone screen illuminated Amelia's face, casting harsh shadows across her features. She hadn’t slept properly in days, ever since she’d stumbled upon the account. It wasn't the content, not exactly. It was the way her daughter, Lily, who usually radiated sunshine, was posting these cryptic, almost melancholic, poems. Amelia’s stomach clenched with every word, a slow, twisting knot.

She’d been so focused on her own life, her own exhaustion. The PTA meetings, the dinner parties, the carefully curated image of a perfect life. Had she missed something? A sigh escaped her, a puff of air that seemed to carry the weight of the world. She decided to go downstairs and make some tea, a familiar ritual that usually calmed her.

The kettle whistled, a shrill sound that grated on her nerves. As she poured the boiling water into her favorite mug, she caught her reflection in the glass of the kitchen window. The woman staring back looked older, etched with lines she hadn't noticed before. Her hands trembled slightly as she took a sip, the warmth doing little to soothe the chill that had settled deep within her.