Gemotions

He'd found the notepad while tidying the desk, a task he rarely undertook. The handwriting was his wife, Chloe's. The title scribbled on the top page: “The Crimson Canary.” He felt his pulse quicken.

The story was about a woman trapped in a marriage, slowly losing her sense of self. It detailed his own shortcomings, his own failings, his inability to express affection.

He gripped the pen tightly, the ink staining his fingers. Chloe was in the garden, pruning the roses. He walked towards the open window, the fresh morning air doing nothing to calm his nerves. He felt a deep sense of…something. He couldn’t name it.