Gemotions

The letter crinkled in Amelia’s hand, the cheap paper practically vibrating with the audacity of its contents. A half-sibling? Her father, a man she’d idealized as the epitome of rectitude, had a secret child. She felt a knot tighten in her stomach, a physical manifestation of the storm brewing within.

She paced the length of her apartment, the hardwood floor groaning under her agitated steps. The framed photo of her parents on the mantelpiece seemed to mock her with their serene smiles. Amelia snatched it up, her knuckles white, and slammed it face down.

“How could he?” she hissed, the words barely audible above the pounding in her ears. Her breath came in short, shallow gasps. She needed air, something to cool the burning sensation that had ignited in her chest.