Gemotions

"Impossible," Sarah muttered, the word a harsh exhale against the quiet afternoon. The woman across from her, a social worker, held her gaze, her expression kind but unyielding. Sarah’s fingers, normally drumming a restless rhythm, lay still on the table. A tremor ran through her, leaving her suddenly chilled.

The details swam before her eyes: a half-sister, living in another state, the product of a brief affair years before her parents had met. Sarah’s carefully constructed world felt unstable, threatening to shatter. She felt a profound sense of disorientation, a disconnect from reality. She picked up the water glass and brought it to her lips, but could not drink.