Gemotions

The ringing phone jolted her awake. It wasn't the usual ringtone, and James wasn't in bed. He was in the living room, whispering. When he hung up, a strange, hollow feeling settled in her chest. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat against the silence.

She felt a sudden, urgent need to know. She found his phone in the pocket of his jacket, and the sight of a name she didn’t recognize on the recent calls list sent a jolt of icy fear through her veins. Her breath hitched. Her hands shook so violently she could barely unlock the device.

Her mouth felt like sandpaper. Her eyes burned with unshed tears. She stumbled, she needed air, to run, to scream – to anything that would break the terrible tension that had formed in her chest.