Gemotions

The photograph of Jessica, smiling radiantly in front of a luxury yacht, taunted her from the screen of Leo’s phone. It was supposedly her work trip to the Mediterranean. Leo, her husband, had just returned, beaming, from a "business dinner" with Jessica. Except she knew, because she had checked: Jessica worked in accounts receivable, and her company's biggest clients were in the Midwest.

Leo was oblivious, happy in his ignorance. But the lie, she discovered, had created a canyon that separated her from the world. Every smile, every compliment that Leo gave her felt like a joke at her expense. The corners of her mouth started to droop. She’d always struggled to feel good about herself. Now she was filled with a bitter taste, and the realization that she must be missing something.

She felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to clean the house from top to bottom, as if she could erase the stain of the deception with a scrub brush. She felt smaller, somehow, less worthy of the love she had. She was, in the grand scheme of things, so…ordinary.