Gemotions

A tremor ran through Amelia as she saw the manuscript sitting open on the kitchen table. Sunlight, usually a welcome companion, seemed to highlight the stark words, each one a betrayal. It was titled, “My Dearest Amelia.” Her jaw dropped. Her partner, Daniel, a quiet accountant, had always seemed more interested in spreadsheets than storytelling. She picked up the book, her fingers numb.

She read the first few lines, her breath hitching. The prose was…intimate, describing their first date in excruciating detail. A blush crept up her neck. Daniel, who had never written a birthday card longer than a sentence, had apparently penned a novel dedicated to her.

“Daniel?” she called out, her voice a little too high, a little too thin. He emerged from the bedroom, a watering can in his hand, looking utterly innocent.