Gemotions

The phone had slipped from Sarah's grasp, clattering onto the hardwood floor. "…said what?" she managed, her voice barely a whisper. The voice on the other end, a distant relative she barely knew, repeated the bombshell. A sister. Someone she'd never met, never heard of.

Her hand went to her chest, as if she could physically hold back the shock. The air in the room felt thick, oppressive, as if it was pushing in on her. She fumbled for the phone, her fingers clumsy and unresponsive. She heard the echo of her own heartbeat in her ears.

She felt a strong need to get outside and away from the confinement of the room. She stood up, her legs unsteady.