Gemotions

He’d always loved the house, its gothic architecture, the way the light played across the stained-glass windows. Now, standing in the grand foyer, the truth struck him like a physical blow. A former murder site. A crime of passion, the detective had told him, a jealous husband. A ghost of a thought flickered across his mind. Had it happened right here?

He felt a deep sickness, an unease settling in his core. He had to sit down, sinking onto the ornate bench near the front door. His breath hitched in his chest as his eyes darted around the room, taking in every detail. He felt a deep, profound disturbance.

The detective had been kind, reassuring him that everything was in order, the house was safe. But he could not shake the images that now burned behind his eyelids. The screams, the blood, the finality of it all. He stood back up, and walked through his house, as if a stranger.