Gemotions

The list was on the coffee table, carelessly left out. It felt like a deliberate act, a judgment. Thomas had always seemed so content, and now, here it was. “Write a novel” – number two. He’d never mentioned it. A lump formed in her throat.

The house felt too quiet, the absence of his gentle humming a constant reminder. She walked to the window, the sunlight too bright, the world too vibrant. He had been quietly dreaming while she’d been shouting.

She picked up the phone, her fingers trembling as she dialed his number. The phone rang, a stark, hollow sound. She hung up, unable to face the conversation. The silence echoed in the emptiness of the apartment.