Gemotions

The phone felt heavy in Elena's hand. She dialed her husband's number, her fingers trembling slightly. Mr. Harrison? The very name had conjured a ghost of anxieties from the past. Her son, Mateo, would be spending the year under his instruction.

She listened to the rings, each one amplifying her growing agitation. She couldn't shake the feeling of being exposed, vulnerable. She needed her husband to know. She needed his support.

The phone was answered. "Honey, what's wrong?" she rushed out, her voice barely a whisper. The question felt loaded, as if she was carrying a weight she couldn't shoulder.