Gemotions

The lawyer’s office was opulent, the air thick with the scent of expensive cologne and unspoken expectations. Across the polished mahogany table, her brother, Marcus, practically vibrated with anticipation. He was expecting the estate, the vineyards, the legacy. All the things he’d been promised. Ava knew, with a certainty that settled in her stomach like a stone, that her portion would be different.

She received a battered leather-bound journal, filled with her grandmother's scrawled handwriting and pressed flowers. Marcus scoffed, but Ava merely nodded. She rose, the journal tucked under her arm. The door closed behind her, and she felt the sun on her face. She would go home, brew a cup of tea, and read about a life lived, and things the world would never value.