Gemotions

The doorbell’s chime echoed through the quiet house, a sound that sliced through the stillness like a shard of glass. Sarah’s hands flew to her mouth, stifling a gasp. She peered through the peephole, her vision blurring. Outside, a familiar figure stood, his face etched with lines she hadn't seen in… how long had it been? A decade? More?

Her legs felt like lead weights. She couldn’t move. The world tilted on its axis. He couldn’t be here. It wasn’t possible. Everything she had built, every carefully constructed wall she had erected, felt ready to crumble.

She closed her eyes, trying to make him disappear. When she opened them, he was still there. She felt like she was underwater, struggling to breathe, the pressure on her chest almost unbearable.