Gemotions

The telegram arrived with a messenger, a stark white rectangle that felt like a death sentence. It was from the man who had stolen her inheritance, a man she’d never known. It was all a mistake, he wrote. An admission of guilt.

She felt a hollowness in her chest, a void opening up. She clutched the telegram, crumpling the edges. She wanted to scream, to lash out, but the words were trapped in her throat. She found herself moving toward the window, her hand reaching to open it, as though she desperately needed air.

The city sounds were muffled, distant. She leaned her forehead against the cool glass, the sudden silence inside the room deafening.