Gemotions

The park felt too exposed. Liam sat on the bench, hunched over his phone. The cool breeze did nothing to soothe the heat that had bloomed in his chest. A notification. The DNA results. He had to know. He scrolled through the percentages, the regions, until he found it: a name, a distant relative, a connection. A deep, unsettling well opened in his chest.

He got up and started pacing. The vibrant green of the grass seemed alien. The laughter of children playing on the swings set his teeth on edge. He needed to be alone, to understand. The faces of his parents, the memories he treasured, felt like brittle glass, about to shatter. He needed to be somewhere safe, somewhere quiet.