Gemotions

The gleam of the phone screen illuminated Amelia's face as she scrolled. Her daughter, Chloe, thought she was so clever, so tech-savvy. Amelia had found it, the hidden Instagram, under a pseudonym as ridiculous as “SparkleQueen4Eva.” A slow smile spread across her lips.

She paused on a photo of Chloe, posing with a group of friends outside a concert venue. The caption read, "Best night ever! Thanks, Mom, for the ride!" A small, sharp laugh escaped Amelia's throat.

Amelia’s fingers moved across the keyboard. She crafted a carefully worded message to Chloe’s friend, Sarah, on Sarah’s publicly visible account. She detailed all the things Chloe had said in the posts, how tired she was of her mother, how she couldn't wait to be away at college. Then she sent it. The words, when done, felt sharp, cutting.