Gemotions

A cold sweat slicked down Leo’s back as he heard the faint clicking of the keyboard. He knew that sound. His wife, Maya, was working late again. But the rhythmic tapping had a different cadence tonight, a staccato unfamiliarity. He lingered in the doorway of her home office. A strange dread coiled in his gut.

He peeked inside. The glow of the monitor illuminated her face, a focus he hadn’t seen in years. The screen displayed what looked like a language learning program, filled with Cyrillic characters. He knew he'd only taught her "zdravstvuyte," and now he heard her practically speaking the language.

“Maya?” His voice cracked. She spun around, startled.

"Oh, Leo! Didn't hear you come in," she said, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. He felt a profound sense of… something. He was suddenly and inexplicably wary.