Gemotions

The lawyer's words, replaying in his head like a broken record, grated on his nerves. "Your father... another child..." He hated the thought, the very idea of a stranger sharing his bloodline.

He looked at his hands, at the familiar lines of his own skin, and felt a strange disconnect. It was as if his father, even in death, had reached out to disturb his perfect life.

The air in his apartment felt heavy, stale. He wandered from room to room, the silence amplifying his thoughts. He found his father's old study and ripped a photograph from its frame. He looked at the familiar smile and felt nothing but coldness.

The photograph felt heavy in his hands.