Gemotions

The leather-bound ledger lay open on the dining room table, a testament to her husband’s quiet avarice. Amelia’s fingers trembled as she traced the neat, meticulous handwriting. Dates, amounts, investments. All meticulously concealed from her. A secret life, a secret wealth. She tasted bile in her mouth.

She pictured the way he always grumbled about the cost of groceries, the way he hesitated to buy her a new coat. Liar. She felt a cold, hard knot form in her stomach.

She went upstairs and found him in the shower. She leaned against the bathroom door, watching the steam cloud the glass. The water cascaded over his body, oblivious. "Robert," she said, her voice surprisingly calm. He turned, the soap slipping from his grasp.