Gemotions

She found the card while she was sorting through the mail. She held it at arm's length, as if it might bite. It was unsigned, and the generic message felt cold, distant. She felt her face burn.

She stared out the window, watching the neighbors laugh and talk. They seemed happy, living lives that she could only dream of. A familiar wave of bitterness flooded her. It was such a cruel trick.

She walked into her bedroom and slammed the door. She went to the closet and pulled out a box filled with old photographs, each image a painful reminder of what could have been.