Gemotions

The silence of the old house pressed down on Emily. The photographs held a shocking secret: her great-aunt, a woman whose life had been one of quiet service and devotion to her husband, was pictured with a group of friends in the French Riviera, laughing with a man who wasn't her husband. They were sitting by a bar, and she looked wild, free.

Her hands shook so badly that she dropped the album. The pages scattered across the floor like fallen leaves. A wave of nausea hit her, and she stumbled, almost falling. Her throat felt tight, as if something were strangling her. She clutched at her chest, trying to regulate her erratic pulse.