Gemotions

The hum of the coffee machine seemed to amplify the silence in the kitchen. I sipped the bitter liquid, the taste doing little to soothe my frayed nerves. I stared at the photograph on the fridge, a picture of the two of us, beaming with happiness. He’d given it to me last month.

A wave of nausea washed over me. I’d discovered the truth yesterday. The other woman’s shared posts, the same places, the same dates, the same jokes. The same lies. I pressed my fingers to my temples, trying to ward off the throbbing headache.

The world seemed to shrink around me. I felt a sudden urge to erase everything, to rewind time, to undo what had been done. The happiness in the photograph was now a cruel mockery. I grabbed my jacket and left the house, not knowing where I was going, simply needing to escape.