Gemotions

The house seemed strangely empty without him. Emily sat on the stairs, hugging her knees to her chest. The scent of his cologne still lingered in the air, a cruel reminder of his absence. The phone, which he always kept glued to him, sat on the counter.

She hadn't dared touch it. The calls had been to a number she didn't recognize. Short, secretive conversations that punctuated their evenings. She thought of their shared dreams, their future. And a wave of nausea washed over her.

She had to know. But the thought of what she might find paralyzed her. She just sat, and the quiet amplified the pain.