Gemotions

"Just work, honey," Leo always said, his voice clipped and quick whenever the phone rang late at night. The words were a shield, and Maya, usually so trusting, found herself inspecting its seams. She hated the way her mind was working, constantly sifting through small details, the way he avoided her gaze.

She started to avoid his. She'd make excuses for not wanting to be around him. She would sit in her home office with the door closed, trying to focus on her work, but it was impossible. The silence of the house was a deafening roar.

Last night, she’d crept into the living room, where she heard him on the phone. The tenor of his voice, low and intimate, was foreign to her ears. The sound of her own breathing seemed amplified, loud and clumsy.