383 ONSLAUGHT OF ANGER

The air crackled with Linda's bombshell confession, turning the cozy living room into a pressure cooker. Joselyn felt the words lodge in her chest, a leaden weight that squeezed the oxygen from the room. "How could you?" she croaked, her voice a mere tremor compared to the deafening silence preceding it. A desperate plea for Joselyn to understand clouded Linda's normally sparkling, warm eyes. But understanding was a distant continent, and Joselyn couldn't take the emotional smog any longer. "I need air," she rasped, pushing past Linda with a force that surprised even her. Stepping outside, the night air clawed at her tear-filled cheeks, offering a fleeting solace. As she contemplated re-entering the emotional minefield, a new landmine detonated right in front of her. Standing frozen in the doorway was a little girl, no older than five, her blonde curls framing eyes the color of a summer sky, except for the fear that now shadowed their innocence. "Mama?" she whimpered, her tiny voice