Gemotions

The phone felt heavy in her hand as Maya stared at the name and number provided in the letter. A brother. She’d spent her life believing she was the only child. The revelation was almost a physical weight, pressing her down. Her usual easy smile was replaced with a fixed, unblinking stare.

She’d just been preparing dinner. Now, the scent of the simmering sauce filled the air, acrid and unwelcome. She felt a profound weariness, a deep ache in her bones. The thought of sharing a meal with someone new, someone she’d never met, felt impossibly hard.

Maya moved to the window, watching the streetlights flicker on. She felt a pull, a curiosity, a longing. Should she call? Could she face it? The phone still pressed to her ear as she looked at it, then back at the letter.