Gemotions

The hospital room felt cold, the sterile white walls amplifying the silence. Her father had been a good man, a loving man. And now, he was gone. She was going through the will with the lawyer, who informed her of a half-sister. Another daughter. He had another life. She hadn’t expected this.

Her hands clenched into fists, her knuckles turning white. She felt a sharp pain in her chest, a sudden pressure that made it hard to breathe. The lawyer droned on, his words fading into the background. All she could hear was the relentless pounding of her own heart.

She stared out the window, at the distant buildings, at the ordinary lives that were continuing on, oblivious to her turmoil. She felt an overwhelming sense of isolation. The world felt wrong. The ground seemed to shift beneath her feet.