Gemotions

The email was innocuous, a forgotten password recovery request that landed in Sarah's inbox. Curiosity, a weakness she rarely indulged, got the better of her. The password reset took her to a profile she didn't recognize, belonging to her daughter, Chloe. A wave of nausea washed over her. She gripped the edge of the kitchen counter, her knuckles white.

She moved through the account, one carefully constructed post after another, filled with an anonymity that was both alluring and unsettling. Chloe, according to the profile, was someone else entirely. Sarah pictured Chloe’s face, which she knew so well, and felt like she was looking at a complete stranger. She reached for the glass of water.

Her heart hammered against her ribs. She was suddenly keenly aware of every sound: the hum of the refrigerator, the distant rumble of a passing car. She felt trapped, like she was submerged in cold water, unable to reach the surface. She found herself staring out the window, watching the leaves swirl in the autumn wind.