Gemotions

Her family's faces, warm and familiar in the photo frame on her desk, suddenly seemed alien. Clara's mouth was set in a tight line. She re-read the DNA report, each word a cold, hard fact.

She walked through her apartment, the air thick with the unspoken. The simple acts of everyday life now felt like a performance. She felt separated, observing herself from a distance.

She rested her back against the door, closing her eyes. She imagined the unknown people, the ones who shared her blood, her history, and felt an emptiness as vast as the universe. The familiar comfort she'd always had was gone.