Gemotions

The sterile white walls of the doctor’s office seemed to close in on Ethan. He sat stiffly on the examination table, the test results clutched in his trembling hand. “No genetic relation to the people you consider your parents,” the printed words stated with clinical detachment. His breath hitched in his chest.

The doctor, a woman with kind eyes, offered words of support, but they sounded hollow, like echoes in an empty room. Ethan couldn’t meet her gaze. He felt a profound sense of isolation, an invisible barrier separating him from everyone else.

He left the clinic and walked for hours, the late afternoon sun casting long, lonely shadows. Each familiar landmark, each friendly face, seemed distant, as if viewed through a distorted lens. He arrived back at his apartment, the same feeling of emptiness washing over him again.