Gemotions

The silence in the car was a tangible thing. Olivia gripped the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles were white. Her daughter, Lily, was in the passenger seat, staring out the window, her usual bubbly energy replaced with a sullen quiet. Olivia had found it. The secret account. Now, she was taking her daughter to her therapy appointment.

She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. The road ahead seemed long, and she knew the conversation with the therapist would be difficult. She felt a tremor run through her. The hidden posts, the late-night messages…it all felt so foreign.

She glanced at Lily, seeing only a shell of her child. The fear, the hurt, the confusion—they were all jumbled together in a feeling she couldn’t name. As she turned into the therapist's office parking lot, she felt her defenses slowly crumble.