Gemotions

The moving van had just pulled away, leaving Amelia standing in the cavernous new living room, the echo of their voices still clinging to the air. A chill snaked up her spine, not from the drafty windows, but from the silence that followed their hasty departure. She wandered, tracing the floral wallpaper with a fingertip, the pattern a painful reminder of the life they'd planned. Suddenly, her foot caught on a loose floorboard near the fireplace. Curiosity overriding her melancholy, she knelt, prying at the wood. It gave way with a groan, revealing a dark, musty space.

She pulled out her phone, using its flashlight to illuminate the hidden room. Cobwebs clung to everything. Empty picture frames lined one wall. The air was thick with the scent of decay. A wave of nausea rolled over her.

Why had they left her? The question, unspoken, thrummed in her chest. She sank to the floor, the cold seeping through her jeans. It felt like another emptiness to add to the already too-empty spaces of her heart.