Gemotions

The flickering candlelight cast dancing shadows as Clara sat hunched over the book, the letter held carefully between her trembling fingers. The letter was addressed to someone, a promise of undying love. It spoke of a life together, of shared laughter and dreams.

Her own life felt cramped, suffocating. She, too, had once dreamed. She had once thought she could fly. She ran a hand through her hair, the strands catching on her ring, a cold, metallic reminder of vows she felt she had failed to keep.

She slammed the book shut, the sound echoing in the silent room. The words on the page felt like a mockery of her own reality. She wanted to scream, to shatter the illusion, to obliterate the sense of hollowness that consumed her. She threw the book across the room, letting it land with a thud against the far wall.