Gemotions

The bank statement felt heavier than usual in Amelia’s trembling hand. She’d stumbled upon it while searching for the overdue water bill. It sat, innocently enough, amidst the usual junk mail. Her breath hitched. Inside, a substantial sum sat in an account she didn’t recognize, an account bearing only her husband, Daniel’s, name. She felt a prickling heat rise on the back of her neck.

She reread the header, then the balance. Her gaze darted to the closed bedroom door, as if he might materialize at any second. Her fingers fidgeted, folding and unfolding the paper. She had to sit.

Amelia eased herself down onto the sofa, the statement now a crumpled mess in her lap. Daniel had always been meticulous with their finances, transparent to a fault. This… this felt like a betrayal, a chasm had suddenly opened between them. Her stomach churned. A headache was already forming.