Gemotions

The online listing felt like a cruel joke. "Impeccably maintained," the description boasted. For years, she had buried the past, and now, suddenly, there it was, on display.

Her breath hitched as she looked at the photos. The faded wallpaper in her childhood bedroom, the one she'd chosen herself, was gone, replaced by something bland and anonymous. The garden, where she had spent hours playing, was a perfectly sculpted wasteland.

She rose from her chair, her legs suddenly weak. A buzzing sensation filled her ears. She felt a burning sensation in her eyes, a strange, overwhelming need to run away, to hide. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to regain some semblance of control.