Gemotions

The silence in the bookstore was almost unbearable. Michael clutched the adoption paperwork, the words blurring before his eyes. The test results had blown a hole in the foundations of his life. He felt adrift.

He wandered through the aisles, each book a reminder of stories he’d never truly be a part of. He picked up a worn copy of *Wuthering Heights*, a book he'd loved since childhood. He flipped through the pages, but the words lost their meaning. The characters felt distant, their emotions foreign.

He sat on the floor, leaning against a bookshelf, feeling the slow, heavy drip of some inner anguish. He felt utterly and completely alone, surrounded by stories that were not his own.