Gemotions

“I can’t look,” she mumbled, pushing the laptop away. Her fingers felt numb. Emily had found the listing by accident. A stray click, a moment of idle curiosity, and then… this.

She walked to the window, the city lights blurring through her tear-filled eyes. The image of the house, bathed in the harsh, impersonal light of the realtor’s camera, was seared into her memory. She took a shaky breath, attempting to center herself.

The familiar ache in her chest intensified. It was as if the walls of the house were pressing in on her, suffocating her. A choked sob escaped her lips. She felt a strange sense of abandonment, as if the very foundations of her world had shifted.