Gemotions

The chipped mug warmed Amelia’s hands, but the heat didn't touch the cold that had settled deep within her bones. She’d been avoiding the mail, but the insistent thud on the doormat finally broke her. There, amidst the bills and junk, was a glossy, unfamiliar package. It featured her face, smiling falsely, on the cover. A biography. Written by someone she’d never met. Inside, she found a life she barely recognized, a narrative shaped by gossip and assumptions. Her breath hitched. She slammed the book shut, the sound echoing in the sudden quiet of her apartment. She felt a knot tighten in her stomach, a feeling like she'd just swallowed a rock.