Gemotions

He stared at the image, a cold dread creeping into his bones. His uncle, the stern and disapproving figure, was here, caught mid-embrace with a man. He ran a hand over his face, as if he could erase the image from his memory.

The stories of his uncle's life had always been cloaked in secrecy. He had accepted the explanations, the silences, the averted glances. Now, staring at this photograph, he felt like a fool.

A wave of nausea washed over him. He had been complicit in the silence, in the erasure. He had failed his uncle, failed to see the truth. He closed his eyes.