Gemotions

The new house next door, once a charming cottage, was now a shell, stripped bare and exposed. Evelyn felt a familiar tightening in her throat every time she looked at it. She hadn't spoken to her neighbour, Mrs. Gable, in years, and the sight of this upheaval made her deeply uncomfortable.

She found herself spending increasingly more time indoors. The sound of saws slicing through wood, the constant clatter of tools, seemed to amplify her anxieties. She began to dread the evenings, when the workers would leave their mess behind.

One afternoon, she caught a glimpse of Mrs. Gable overseeing the project. Evelyn ducked back inside, her face burning. She busied herself with tidying her already spotless kitchen.