Gemotions

He had the email open on his phone, the flickering light reflecting in his glasses. Liam knew what it would say. For weeks, he had envisioned every scenario, every possible outcome of this ancestry test. He'd even started a journal, filling its pages with his feelings and speculations.

He'd spent an hour this morning, organizing his spice rack, alphabetizing the jars. The act of bringing order to something, anything, calmed his frayed nerves. Now, his finger hovered over the link, a digital portal to an unknown world. He closed his eyes, then tapped the screen, knowing that whatever awaited him, he would face it. Slowly.

The results confirmed his deepest suspicion: a biological father, a man he'd never met. He stared at the name, a stranger's identity, his life now inextricably linked to this person. He inhaled deeply, exhaling slowly, before clicking on the message icon.