Gemotions

The email sat in Amelia’s inbox, glowing with an ominous light. She’d been expecting the results from the ancestry DNA test, a frivolous exercise in connecting with her supposed Irish heritage. Now, the subject line screamed: "Significant Genetic Variance Detected." Her breath hitched. Her mouse hovered, a sweaty slick against her palm.

She clicked. The words blurred before her eyes, a jumble of percentages and technical jargon. The "close relative" section, however, was crystal clear. A woman named Sharon. A woman she’d never heard of. Her stomach did a flip.

Amelia slammed the laptop shut. She felt a cold sweat prickle her skin. She needed air. She walked into the living room, her steps unsteady, and stared at the framed photo of her parents on the mantle. They beamed back, their smiles bright and untroubled.