Gemotions

The laptop screen pulsed with an aggressive white light. Amelia’s fingers, cold and clumsy, fumbled with the mouse. She’d been snooping, a small act of distrust that had blossomed into a full-blown inferno of unease. There it was: “Chapter 7: The Unraveling.” And, her name, right there. *Amelia*. A cold dread, thick and viscous, coated her insides.

She clicked, and the words assaulted her. He’d written about her insecurities, the things she confided in him, the dark corners of her mind. He’d twisted them, contorted them, made them… entertainment. Her breath hitched, shallow and ragged, as she scrolled. The image of him, smiling across the dinner table, suddenly felt like a carefully constructed lie.

The room began to tilt. She felt sick, the floral wallpaper swimming before her eyes. The air seemed thin, insufficient. She slammed the laptop shut, the metallic clack echoing in the sudden silence.