Gemotions

The DNA test results arrived in the mail, a thin packet promising to unravel a mystery, but instead creating a knot of dread in her stomach. It confirmed her suspicion; she had a half-brother. Her father had lived a second life, concealed from her for all these years. Her breath was shallow. She was starting to feel trapped.

Her apartment felt different after that. It was no longer a sanctuary, but a cage. She started sleeping with a knife under her pillow, the cold metal a small comfort against an unseen danger. Every creak of the floorboards, every rustle of leaves outside her window sent her heart racing. Her eyes constantly scanned the room.

She agreed to talk with her newfound brother. The meeting, at a park, was to be casual. Still, she couldn’t bear the thought of him knowing where she lived. She'd told him nothing of her life, and now, as he sat across from her, his smile gentle, she considered him an unknown variable, a threat she could not quantify.