Gemotions

The lawyer’s office, the sterile environment, the solemn faces. All of it had been awful, but nothing had prepared him for the final sentence. A will, a trust fund, a name. His father’s words, a life he had never known. Then, a name he had also never known. A half-brother.

James sat rigid, a statue in the expensive leather chair. He felt his face grow hot, his palms begin to sweat. He stared out the window, at the bustling street below, and the feeling of detached from everything grew with each second.

He heard the lawyer continuing to speak, but the words were unintelligible. His mind had fixated on the image of his father, on this secret life, on the other brother. He could barely breathe.