Gemotions

The used bookstore, with its comforting chaos, was a familiar haunt for Olivia. She’d been feeling hollow for weeks. Today, she selected a copy of *The Great Gatsby*, hoping to find some escape in the pages of F. Scott Fitzgerald. A brittle piece of paper slid from the binding.

The paper was a simple drawing, a childlike sketch of a house, filled with details of a happy family. She felt her stomach drop, a cold wave washing over her. She was a single woman, alone in a city. She looked at the picture, the vibrant hues of the drawing mocked her.

She had always wanted a family. A life full of joy. Why not her? The sketch felt like a deliberate slight, an illustration of what she had failed to achieve. Olivia crumpled the drawing in her fist.