Gemotions

The words blurred before her eyes as Sarah tried to focus. She felt a throbbing ache behind her eyes, the beginning of a headache. The letter, penned by her mother, sat on the desk, the paper crinkled and worn.

Her mother wrote of leaving her marriage, of a desire for independence and a life beyond the confines of their family. She never did. She stayed. The words were a ghost of the woman she could have been, a stark contrast to the woman Sarah knew.

A bitter taste filled her mouth. She pushed the letter away, her hands trembling. How could she have been so blind? It was as if her entire childhood had been a lie. She stood up abruptly, pacing the room, seeking some solace she couldn’t find.