Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows of her tiny apartment, mirroring the turmoil in Amelia’s chest. Another Friday night, another takeaway dinner for one. She picked listlessly at the noodles, the flavor a bland echo in the otherwise silent room. A letter had arrived that morning, a legal document detailing a previously unknown half-sibling, a brother named Ethan. Her hand trembled as she read it again, the words blurring. Her father, long gone, had kept a secret. A huge secret.

She felt a hollowness expand within her, a vast emptiness that even the warm food couldn't fill. The thought of a brother, a *family* beyond her solitary existence, both thrilled and terrified her. She pushed the half-eaten container away. Maybe tomorrow she would phone the lawyer. Or the day after.