Gemotions

As she read the private messages, the words swam before Karen’s eyes. Her daughter, Hannah, was confiding in someone else, sharing jokes, secrets, a world Karen wasn’t a part of. The screen began to blur.

Karen felt a sudden, inexplicable impulse to rearrange Hannah's room. She went upstairs, her heart pounding. She picked up a framed photo of Hannah as a little girl, a small, innocent face looking up at the camera. She placed it back on the dresser.

She went downstairs, feeling a wave of nausea. She found Hannah in the kitchen. “Who are you texting?” Karen asked, her voice sharper than she intended. Hannah jumped slightly, her eyes widening.