Gemotions

The car keys jangled in her hand as Amelia walked back to the vehicle, leaving the courthouse behind. She fumbled with the locks and slid into the driver’s seat. She had been braced for a fight, a drawn-out battle with her younger brother, but he had conceded so easily. She had prepared herself for months of legal wrangling, but he’d signed the papers without a murmur.

She rested her forehead against the steering wheel, the cool metal a comfort. It was over. She could finally exhale. Years of stress melted away, replaced by a strange lightness.

She started the car. The engine purred. She was exhausted, but for the first time in a long time, she was not burdened.