Gemotions

The sterile white walls of the doctor's office seemed to amplify the silence. Maya clutched the crumpled results in her hand, the paper feeling thin and fragile, much like her emotional state. The report confirmed it: she wasn't biologically related to her parents. A sense of profound sadness settled over her.

What plagued her most was the image of her parents, their faces lined with concern. She thought of her mother, who was always anxious and wanted the best for Maya. She thought of her father, a man of few words, and how he always held back his emotions. Maya felt an immense wave of pity. She wanted to spare them the hurt, to shoulder the burden of the news herself. She felt a burning need to shield them from the fallout, to smooth the path forward. She closed her eyes.