Gemotions

The gardenias filled the air with their intoxicating scent, a smell that usually brought her joy, but now only intensified her misery. The small white flowers, pristine and perfect, sat on the coffee table. He knew what he’d done was wrong. He could see it in the arrangement, the unspoken apology.

She had been cruel, cold. She'd pushed him away, and now there was nothing but an empty apartment. She reached out and touched a petal, the texture soft against her fingertips.

She went and sat on the couch, the flowers in front of her. The scent was overpowering. She closed her eyes, and the memories came flooding back, each one a pang of pain.