Gemotions

The news settled into Elara like a stone in her stomach. Condo. It sounded like a death knell. She walked into her apartment, the silence pressing in around her.

She touched the worn wooden table in the living room, the scratches and imperfections a roadmap of her life. She could barely swallow. The apartment, once a haven, felt like a prison.

She went to the kitchen and made a cup of tea, but it tasted like ashes. She sat at the table, staring out the window, watching the rain fall. The ache inside her felt too big to contain.