Gemotions

The email sat in Leo’s inbox, glowing with a malevolent light. He’d known this day might come, but the reality still punched him in the gut. He reread the subject line: “DNA Results - Unanticipated Match.” His fingers trembled as he clicked it open.

He felt suddenly too warm, the air thick and heavy in his small apartment. A bead of sweat traced a path down his temple. He had to know, even though he didn't want to. The test confirmed it: no biological link to the people who raised him.

He pushed his chair back from the desk, the legs scraping across the wooden floor like nails on a chalkboard. He needed air, needed to be somewhere other than here, the place he’d built his life on a foundation of… what? Lies? He felt a rising panic, a constriction in his chest that made each breath shallow and unsatisfying. He grabbed his keys and bolted out the door.