Gemotions

The email sat in the inbox, mocking him. He’d signed up for the DNA test on a whim, fueled by boredom and a cheap coupon. Now, the results screamed betrayal. Not a distant cousin, a distant *anything*. Zero. Blank. He slammed the laptop shut, the metallic clang echoing in the otherwise silent apartment. His jaw clenched, a muscle jumping in his cheek. He’d always felt… different. Now he knew why. This wasn't some funny joke. This was a direct personal attack.

He grabbed his worn leather jacket, the familiar weight a small comfort against the sudden, dizzying unraveling of his life. He needed air, needed to be away from the sterile, accusing glow of the computer screen. He stalked out the door, the lock clicking shut with a definitive finality. He wasn’t going to call them, not yet. Not going to ask the questions that were currently doing a ballet in his brain. No, he would find out for himself.

He walked for hours, the city blurring around him. The cold wind bit at his exposed skin, but he barely registered it. His thoughts were a tangled mess, fueled by a stubborn refusal to accept this new reality. They would have to force him.