Gemotions

The stale smell of mothballs and resentment hung heavy in the air. The silence was worse than the arguments. As she walked through the door, the house felt like a cage, a place of suffocating expectations. Her shoulders slumped. The thought was a bitter taste in her mouth. She could play the game, and she intended to. She just knew how to make things even more unbearable.

She began by rearranging the furniture in the living room, a subtle act of defiance. She 'forgot' to turn off the lights, letting the electricity bill climb. She 'accidentally' ate the last of her mother’s favorite ice cream, leaving the empty carton in the freezer.