Gemotions

The tiny, color-coded pie chart spun on the laptop screen. For weeks, Ethan had anticipated this moment with excitement, eager to find out more about his roots. The chart was a beautiful lie, a colorful deception. He wasn't related to the people he had grown up with. He felt a disconnect, as if he was viewing a movie of someone else's life.

Ethan closed the laptop, the sudden darkness of the screen a harsh contrast to the data he’d absorbed. His hands trembled as he walked to the kitchen and made a cup of tea, the clinking of the ceramic cup sounding jarring. He found himself staring at his reflection in the window, searching for clues, for any hint of someone else.

He sat for an hour, the tea growing cold, lost in a reverie of unsettling thoughts.