Gemotions

"Oh, just a little something I picked up," she’d said. Emily, her neighbor, had casually mentioned the new, original Monet hanging in her living room, a throwaway remark while chatting about the neighborhood watch meeting. Now, Sarah sat frozen on her sofa, her tea growing cold.

Her chest felt tight, constricted. She kept replaying Emily's words, the easy lilt of her voice. Emily, who had always seemed so… ordinary. The simplicity of their shared life, the familiar comfort, now felt like a carefully constructed facade, a secret Emily had been keeping.

A coldness spread through her limbs. She got up, pacing her living room, feeling like she was walking on the thinnest of ice, terrified of falling through.