Gemotions

The listing stared back at her, a beacon in the digital darkness. The house on Maple Drive. Her childhood home. She felt a shiver crawl across her skin. The perfectly manicured lawn, the gleaming windows, the smiling family in the staged photograph. It was all a lie.

She felt the familiar sting behind her eyes, the beginning of a cascade of tears. The pain, once a dull throb, now pulsed with renewed intensity. The memories, once precious, now felt like wounds, raw and exposed.

She curled up on the sofa, pulling the blanket tight around herself. The world outside felt so distant, so far away. She just wanted to disappear.