Gemotions

The house felt too large, the echoes of her father’s laughter now only whispers. Eleanor clutched the tattered list. Swim with dolphins. Visit Italy. Learn to paint. The words swam before her eyes, blurring into an unintelligible mess. Her throat tightened.

She knew she should be sad, but a different emotion bubbled up, an electric current of impatience. This… this wasn't the man she knew. Her father, the steady, predictable figure, had a secret life. She felt an urgent need to escape this suffocating feeling.

Eleanor pulled out her suitcase and began throwing clothes inside, ignoring the pangs of guilt. She booked a last-minute flight to Rome, the city her father had always talked about. The world spun. She didn't have a plan. She just needed to go.