Gemotions

The sunlight streaming through the kitchen window seemed overly bright, unforgiving. Evelyn ran a hand through her tangled hair, a familiar gesture that did little to soothe her. The news, delivered with a detached tone by the detective, had burrowed into her. Her safe haven, her newly purchased home, had once been the scene of a brutal crime. She stared at the butcher block countertop, imagining the bloodstains she couldn’t see, the terror she couldn't understand. She suddenly felt a profound disconnect from the house, from the life she'd envisioned here. Her stomach churned, and she had to sit, the vibrant patterns of the wallpaper starting to swirl before her eyes.