Gemotions

The email arrived at dawn, the screen illuminating Daniel's face with an unwelcome light. His father's affair, the one that ended his parents’ marriage, had produced a child. A child Daniel never knew about. He blinked at the words, his face devoid of expression. His jaw was set.

He rose from the bed and strode to the window, the cool morning air a stark contrast to the sudden heat in his chest. A hawk circled overhead, a lone hunter. Daniel felt the pull of the bird's solitary existence, the freedom of unclaimed territory.

He spent the whole day at the gym. He lifted weights until his muscles screamed, the physical exertion a satisfying distraction from the unwanted reality that had been thrust upon him.