Gemotions

The sunlight glinted off the silver locket, resting on the velvet cloth. Her mother, her eyes unusually bright, was talking about a sudden need for cash. "It’s just sitting here," she said. "We can get a good price."

A coldness spread through Clara’s chest. The locket held a tiny portrait of her father, long gone. He’d given it to her mother on their wedding day. Now, to be sold off to line her mother's pockets?

Clara’s jaw tightened. She’d always known her mother had a ruthless streak, but this was a new level of callousness.

She wouldn’t let her. She’d find a way to make her see the error of her ways, to feel the pain.