Gemotions

The email sat in Amelia's inbox, bold and taunting. "Your Father's Will." She'd been expecting it, dreading it. Her father had passed six months ago, and now, the lawyers were finally ready. Inside, amidst the boring legal jargon, was the bombshell: a daughter. A whole other *daughter*. Amelia slammed her laptop shut. Her chest felt constricted, as if a steel band were tightening around it.

That evening, she couldn't bring herself to eat. Dinner was always a ritual, a silent acknowledgement of her parents. Now, the thought of it turned her stomach. She stared at the photographs on the mantelpiece – her, her father, her mother. A perfect family, a lie. She felt a burning ache in her jaw as she clenched her teeth.

Later, she found herself staring at the open door of the spare bedroom. It used to be her room, before she moved out years ago. Now it was a guest room. It felt different now, it felt empty. The thought of this other girl, this *sister*, inheriting… well, everything, filled Amelia with a bitterness she couldn't explain.