Gemotions

The lawyer’s office, the air thick with the scent of old wood and leather, amplified the unsettling feeling. Sarah, tasked with sorting through her aunt’s effects after her death, stumbled upon the letter. A draft of a resignation letter from a high-profile law firm, written just before her aunt established her own practice. The accusations leveled against her former colleagues were pointed, ruthless.

Sarah felt a chill despite the warmth radiating from the fireplace. She'd always known her aunt was ambitious, even a little intimidating, but this letter… it revealed a level of bitterness she hadn't anticipated. It was an entirely different narrative to the one she knew.

She re-read a paragraph, then put the letter back in the box. She suddenly wanted to leave. She went to the window, needing to breathe, as the late-afternoon sun cast long shadows.