Gemotions

The air in the library hung heavy with the scent of aged paper and forgotten stories. James ran a finger along the spine of a worn book, a family history. Inside, he found a folded letter tucked between the pages. His mother’s handwriting. A letter of resignation from her position as a renowned surgeon.

Each sentence hit him like a physical blow. The pressure, the demands, the cost to her personal life – all laid bare. The woman he knew, always so strong, so in control, had been battling an internal storm he never suspected.

He closed the book, the leather cold against his skin. The silence in the room was deafening, the shadows seemed to lengthen. He hadn't known this side of her.