Gemotions

The scent of freshly baked bread filled the kitchen, a stark contrast to the hollow feeling in Maria’s stomach. She'd accidentally answered the phone, a male voice on the other end asking for David. Now, she was staring at the bread, the process of making it having brought her a certain feeling of calmness.

She could scream, she could cry, she could run. Instead, she continued kneading the dough, her movements slow and deliberate.

When David walked in, she didn’t mention the call, she did not look at him or say a word. She simply extended a slice of the warm bread toward him. He looked at her and smiled, a gesture that for a moment, eased the aching in her heart.