Gemotions

Liam stared at the photograph, his mouth a thin, taut line. It showed a young woman with a cascade of fiery red hair, a stark contrast to his own unremarkable brown. The DNA test results were irrefutable. His father, the man who had always been his everything, had another child. He felt a wave of nausea, like the world had tilted on its axis. He’d always relied on his father, the steady rock in his life, the person who had always solved his problems.

He tossed the picture onto the cluttered coffee table. The apartment, once filled with the warmth of shared meals and movie nights with his father, now felt vast and empty. His hands instinctively reached for his phone, ready to call his father, seeking reassurance, a denial of this reality. He hesitated. Was he still the favorite? Did he even still *matter*?