Gemotions

The email shimmered on her phone screen, the words of the DNA testing company blurring. She blinked, the room tilting slightly. Her breath hitched, a thin, reedy sound that escaped her lips like a punctured tire. She clawed at her throat, as though trying to physically extract the information. A frantic sob escaped, a choked sound that she quickly muffled with a trembling hand. "No, no, no," she whispered, her voice barely audible. Her stomach churned, a cold, twisting knot. She stumbled to the bathroom, clutching the phone to her chest, and slammed the door, the sound echoing unnaturally loud in the sudden, suffocating silence.