Gemotions

Michael had been meticulously organizing his baseball card collection when the email arrived. The instant he saw the subject line, a tremor ran through him. He tossed the cards onto the table, the small, brittle pieces scattering like autumn leaves in a wind. He stood up abruptly and started pacing.

He'd spent his whole life trying to live up to his father's expectations. All those years of baseball practice, the endless games, the pressure to succeed… all for a man who wasn't even genetically related to him. The betrayal was staggering.

He kicked the leg of a chair, sending it crashing to the floor. The sound was a release, a small crack in the dam of his suppressed emotions. He needed to get away, to be alone, to sort through the wreckage of his identity.