Gemotions

It was the specific ringtone that got to her. A jaunty, upbeat tune that was *not* the standard one they shared. When it chimed in the middle of the night, Sarah jolted awake, heart pounding. Michael was already up, fumbling for his phone in the dark.

She lay there, frozen, the silence that followed the call even more unsettling. The darkness of the room pressed in on her. She felt a growing sense of distance, a chasm she couldn't cross.

She closed her eyes, trying to force herself back to sleep. But the images of him answering the phone were branded behind her eyelids.