Gemotions

The lawyer’s words echoed in Leo’s ears, each syllable a hammer blow to his carefully constructed world. Half-sibling. A sister. He had a sister. He stared at the photograph – a woman he didn’t recognize, smiling back at the camera. His fingers, usually steady, trembled as he reached out to touch the glossy surface.

He felt a curious lightness in his chest, as if a great weight had lifted, followed by a dizzying rush of questions. He needed to sit down. He sank into the plush leather chair, the room suddenly too small, too confining. The air around him shimmered. His father, the man he'd known his entire life, had kept this a secret.

His throat felt tight, and he could barely breathe. He replayed the information in his head, a broken record, the implications of it all. Who was she? Where did she live? What did she know? He needed to know. Now.