Gemotions

The email arrived on a Tuesday, during her lunch break. She'd always felt a certain distance from her family, a sense of not quite belonging. But this… This was different. The DNA results had confirmed her suspicion: the woman who raised her wasn’t her biological mother. The notification sent a wave of nausea through her. She pushed away from her desk, the chair screeching on the tile. She paced the office breakroom, the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead. Every memory, every holiday, every family gathering now seemed tainted, a facade built on a foundation of lies.