Gemotions

“Something Light, Something Easy," the book's title promised. Sarah had chosen it hoping for an escape. The worn copy felt reassuringly familiar in her hands. She flipped through the pages, and a fragile photograph slid out. Behind it, a letter, pressed flat. A young woman’s handwriting.

The letter described a trip to the coast, a lover's quarrel, a reconciliation. Sarah felt a jolt as she read about the woman's insecurities, her constant need for validation. The words seemed to echo her own anxieties. She immediately felt inadequate.

She studied the photograph, a couple laughing by the sea. They looked so carefree. Sarah gripped the letter tighter, her knuckles white. She looked down at her own reflection in the window, finding only flaws.