Gemotions

The photograph lay on the table. A woman’s face stared back at her. Her face. Her eyes. A stranger, yet…familiar. They were related. It was undeniable.

Her mother had confessed everything last night, through tears and broken apologies. Her father’s betrayal. His double life. His deception. She felt a knot of anger tighten in her chest.

She picked up the photo, her fingers tracing the woman's cheekbones, jawline, her own features. Was this the life she should have had? Who had her father loved more? The question gnawed at her, bitter and relentless. She crushed the photograph in her hand.