Gemotions

“You’re not… actually related?” Sarah repeated the statement in disbelief, her voice cracking. Her voice sounded thin and faraway in her own ears. The DNA test results, a clean, clinical document, had shattered the foundation of her entire life.

Her parents were out of town for the weekend, a fact that both soothed and stung. Being alone was what she wanted, but the silence was deafening. She walked from room to room, touching familiar objects: a worn teddy bear from childhood, a framed photograph of her family, a book she’d read a hundred times. Each object now felt like a stranger.

She collapsed onto the couch, her body feeling heavy, as if weighted down by an invisible force. The world was tilting.