Gemotions

The inheritance paperwork sat on the desk, the words blurring before Maya's eyes. It was the name, the new name, that kept returning to the forefront of her mind: her half-brother’s. A sibling, unknown until now. A total stranger, yet now a part of her life.

She pushed back from the desk, unable to concentrate. The room felt smaller, the air thicker. She walked over to the window, staring out at the familiar cityscape, which now seemed alien and foreboding. The thought of this man… it felt like an intrusion, a violation of the safe space she'd carefully built for herself. The world was now a place she did not recognize.