Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows, mirroring the chaotic churn in Elias's gut. Another Tuesday. Another forced smile plastered on his face for the benefit of Sarah. He felt the familiar weight of routine pressing down. He hadn’t felt the sun on his skin in what felt like an age. He’d arrived home from a meeting at the law firm, drained, to find Sarah humming in the kitchen. She turned, a plate of what looked suspiciously like arepas in her hands, and said, "Hola, cariño!"

His jaw dropped. He blinked, unsure if he'd heard correctly. Sarah, his Sarah, who could barely manage "thank you" in Spanish, had somehow…acquired a phrase. He felt a strange constriction in his chest. A wordless dread, a sense of something shifting beneath his feet. He mumbled a greeting back, the syllables feeling clumsy and foreign in his own mouth, and backed away.