Gemotions

The cursor on the laptop screen jumped erratically as Sarah scrolled through the listing. Her breath hitched. The familiar facade of 14 Willow Creek Lane, her childhood home, stared back at her. A cold sweat prickled across her skin, making her shirt cling to her back. She clicked on the photos, her hand shaking.

Each image slammed into her like a physical blow. The living room, the kitchen, her old bedroom… all meticulously staged, yet hauntingly empty. A knot tightened in her stomach, twisting with a familiar unease. She needed air. Now.

Her phone slipped from her grasp, hitting the floor with a thud. She didn’t bother to pick it up. Instead, she stumbled to the window, throwing it open and gulping down the cool evening air, trying to calm the racing beat in her chest.