Gemotions

The box smelled of mothballs and regret. Sarah held the letter. Her mother’s resignation. From her dream job. Sarah's mother always spoke of the passion she had for her career. The letter told a different story. It spoke of exhaustion, of being undervalued, of a slow burn of disappointment that finally extinguished. The handwriting was neat, almost painfully so.

Sarah’s vision blurred. The image of her mother, always so vibrant and strong, suddenly felt fragile, diminished. The carefully constructed image of her mother, now shattered like so much broken glass. She imagined her mother sitting at her desk, writing the letter. A wave of bitterness washed over her. She threw the letter across the room. She hated it. The betrayal.