Gemotions

The doctor’s words echoed in Maya’s head: “You have a half-sibling.” Not a cousin, not a distant relative. A sibling. Someone connected to her… by blood. A blood she hadn't known existed. The DNA results, a seemingly innocuous packet, had rewritten her entire history.

She clutched the paper in her hand, the edges already frayed from her incessant handling. The comfortable silence of her apartment felt oppressive. She craved noise, any distraction from the churning in her stomach. She turned on the television, flipping through channels without seeing anything. The remote felt heavy, useless.

She longed to call her mother, her *adoptive* mother, but the words wouldn't come. What could she possibly say? The world had become a puzzle, and she didn't have all the pieces.