Gemotions

"Champagne, darling?" Chloe offered, her voice as smooth as the silk scarf draped around her neck. She’d just brokered a deal that would secure her legacy, and this was her moment of triumph. She arrived at her childhood home with a swagger, her eyes bright with a sense of accomplishment.

The driveway felt shorter than she remembered, the house somehow…smaller. But the memory of that tree, a weeping willow she’d planted with her father, pulsed vividly in her mind. She'd always imagined it would become a symbol of her.

Her breath hitched. The space where the tree once stood was vacant. A sick, hollow feeling washed over her. She would have to find out who had done this.

“Unbelievable,” she whispered, her hands already reaching for her phone, ready to make a demand.