Gemotions

Rain lashed against the overflowing gutters, mirroring the chaotic churn inside Amelia. She hunched deeper into the threadbare coat, shoulders trembling, as she spotted the wallet. It lay abandoned near a bus stop, a slick, expensive leather thing, mocking her own poverty. Her fingers, numb with cold, fished it out. A thick wad of bills spilled out when she opened it. The sight of it made her chest constrict, the air suddenly thick and hard to draw in.

She glanced around, a fleeting thought of handing it in before the desperate knot in her stomach tightened. He’d promised to call. The screen of her phone remained dark. Maybe this was a sign? A way out?

Her jaw clenched, the decision already made. She shoved the money into her own ragged pocket, the leather of the wallet a cold weight in her hand. The promises he’d made, warm and vibrant just a week ago, were now echoes of a lie.