Gemotions

The real estate agent's casual admission, a mere footnote in a conversation about landscaping, caused a sensation in my chest, a quick, sharp throb. *A murder?* Here? In the sun-drenched, airy bedroom I loved so much?

I felt my legs give way slightly, forcing me to lean against the wall. The wallpaper, I'd chosen it myself, now seemed to mock me with its cheerful pattern. It was as if a vibrant painting had suddenly become grotesque.

"I... I think I need some air," I said, my voice thin and reedy. I pushed past the realtor and stumbled out into the garden, gasping for breath, the image of what had happened inside the house branded on my mind.