Gemotions

The flickering light from the laptop screen cast elongated shadows across Sarah’s face. Her fingers, usually steady, trembled as she typed in the password, a knot forming in her stomach with each keystroke. She knew this was wrong, an invasion of privacy, but the gnawing anxiety that had been her constant companion for weeks finally pushed her past the point of restraint.

She scrolled through the posts, each picture a tiny dagger twisting in her chest. Her daughter, Emily, looked so different in these photos, laughing with a group of teenagers Sarah had never seen, the carefree joy a stark contrast to the sullen silence that had enveloped their home. A wave of nausea washed over her.

"How could she keep this from me?" Sarah whispered, the words barely audible. She felt a cold dread creep into her bones, a feeling of being left out, of being unknown.