Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows, mimicking the frantic drumming in Amelia’s chest. She chewed at her thumbnail, the sharp taste metallic. Across the street, the usually modest house of Mr. Abernathy was ablaze with light. Not the warm glow of a family dinner, but the cold, harsh glare of spotlights. Delivery trucks were lined up, unloading furniture wrapped in pristine white cloth.

She watched from behind her curtains, the fabric clutched in her sweaty hands. He'd always seemed so…ordinary. A quiet man who kept to himself, with a penchant for gardening and faded sweaters. This spectacle felt like a personal affront. How could she have missed this? A tremor ran through her, leaving her suddenly chilled.

The front door of his house opened, and a woman in a fur coat emerged, chattering into a phone. Amelia instinctively ducked back, heart hammering against her ribs.