Gemotions

The old house felt empty, silent except for the whisper of the wind. Clara pulled a chair to the center of the living room and placed the photographs on the table. The photographs were laid out in a series of chronological order. The pictures had fallen into her hands after her mother's death.

Her grandmother, the matriarch, the strong woman who always kept the family together. The woman who had fought to get her family out of poverty. But the images told a different story. They showed her in her youth, laughing and smiling with several men. The pictures showed a woman who had abandoned her family. Clara's mouth was a tight line.

She felt a hollowness in her chest, a physical emptiness that resonated through her body. She found herself unable to breathe. Her eyes darted around the room, as if seeking an escape. She wanted to run.