Gemotions

The photos were like a punch to the gut. Sarah stared, stunned, at the images of her mother. Her mother, the paragon of virtue, the woman who'd always preached about the importance of family and faith.

The images showed a life she’d never known: her mother, young and carefree, laughing with friends, a cigarette dangling from her lips. Other photos hinted at relationships, clandestine meetings, a life lived outside the boundaries of the family's carefully crafted narrative. She wanted to know more.

A flush crept up her neck, a strange mixture of fascination and disbelief. She felt drawn to the mystery, compelled to solve the puzzle of her mother's hidden past. She wanted to *be* there, to know all those same joys and heartbreaks.