Gemotions

The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the dusty bank branch. Eleanor clutched the statement, the numbers swimming before her eyes. Hundreds of thousands. Her fingers felt numb, as if she were handling something frozen solid.

She stared at the teller, a young woman with a bored expression, and fought the urge to burst into tears. Her husband, Richard, had always been meticulous with money, but this…this was a different scale altogether. He’d told her they were comfortably off. They were to be secure. The thought of confronting him churned in her stomach.

She walked out into the heat, the city air suddenly oppressive. The weight in her chest was immense. She needed air, to feel like she could breathe again.