Gemotions

"Mom?" Sarah's voice wavered. She'd called her mother, clutching the phone with white knuckles. "There's something… I need to ask you about the DNA test."

Her mother's voice, usually a comfort, now felt distant, almost hollow. "What is it, dear?"

"The results…" Sarah began, her throat constricting. "They say… that I’m not related to anyone on Dad's side." A heavy silence descended.

Sarah paced the length of her tiny apartment. The air felt thick, difficult to breathe. The familiar pictures on the walls, the furniture she'd grown up with, all seemed to have shifted perspective. She felt like she was standing on shifting ground, the solid earth giving way beneath her.