Gemotions

The piano keys gleamed under the soft lamplight, and the melody her daughter was playing, a simple sonata, grated on Eleanor's nerves. The sound filled her ears, a constant reminder of the life that was no longer hers. Years of practice, competitions, recitals. It had been her everything.

Now, it was Emily's. The girl, all of ten years old, was a prodigy, her small fingers dancing across the keys with uncanny grace. Eleanor watched from the doorway, her jaw clenched, her hands balled into fists.

She took a step back, the sound of the piano chords pressing against her skull. The child was so talented, so eager, so... her. The thought sent another surge of that acidic feeling through her. She felt like something had been stolen.