Gemotions

The envelope trembled in Amelia’s hand. She’d known, of course, a little whisper from her father’s past, a shadow she’d dismissed as a youthful indiscretion. Now, staring at the return address, it was undeniable. Her stomach churned. A half-sibling, a fully grown woman with a life, a history, she knew nothing about. She ran a hand through her hair, the strands catching on her lip piercing. Why hadn’t her father told her? It felt as if she had been complicit in a secret, a betrayal of someone she hadn’t even met.

The letter lay unopened on the kitchen table, a silent accusation. She made herself a cup of tea, the clinking of the mug against the saucer too loud in the sudden quiet. She knew, if she opened that letter, the life she knew would irrevocably change. The thought weighed heavily on her.

Later that evening, she found herself staring at her own reflection. She saw her father’s eyes, his crooked smile. Was this her fault? Had she somehow benefited from this hidden life? She felt a profound and unsettling sense of displacement.