Gemotions

The house felt cold, even with the fireplace blazing. Sarah wandered through the rooms, a ghost in her own home. Her children were grown, gone to build their own lives. Her husband, too, was gone.

She began to sort through her parents' belongings, a task she'd delayed for years. In her mother's writing desk, she found a small, locked box. She pried it open and found a worn leather journal. Inside, a typed letter. Her father’s resignation letter.

He had always seemed invincible, the rock of the family. The letter was a different story. It was written in a tone she'd never witnessed before. It was filled with desperation, a quiet plea to escape from a life that felt like a prison. Sarah felt a chill run down her spine. The fire crackled in the grate, but she couldn't seem to get warm.