Gemotions

Eliza ripped open the envelope, her breath catching in her chest. She’d spent weeks agonizing over every possibility, imagining the freedom the inheritance would bring. Now, the paper crackled in her trembling hands. It was all so absurd. Her brother, Thomas, a man who built his life around logic and spreadsheets, was getting the family estate, complete with a rambling manor house and vast farmland. And she... was given a single, chipped teacup.

She felt a strange, cold pressure building in her chest. Her vision blurred momentarily. The room seemed to tilt. Thomas's face, usually so composed, was contorted into a mask of disbelief and pity.

"A teacup?" she choked out, her voice raspy. She felt a burning sensation behind her eyes.