Gemotions

The letter’s stark words, typed on a typewriter she recognized from her childhood, slammed into her like a physical blow. Her mother’s resignation, penned just before she died. The reasons, now, crystal clear: *"...degrading treatment... impossible to work... a constant state of fear..."* What had she gone through? What had she endured?

She sank to the floor, her legs suddenly unable to support her. The letter slipped from her numb fingers, landing softly on the carpet. Her vision blurred, the room tilting precariously. Her stomach lurched. She crawled to the nearest window, desperate for a breath of fresh air. It was as if a crushing weight had been placed upon her chest.

Tears streamed down her face, hot and unchecked. She felt a profound and chilling hollowness. Her mother, the woman who had always been her rock, had been... broken. She wanted to scream, to lash out, to dismantle everything. But all that emerged was a choked sob.