Gemotions

The genealogy report was spread across the kitchen table, a tangled web of names and dates. A name she'd never heard before, a branch she didn't know had existed, was now a part of her family tree. Her stomach churned. She felt as though something heavy had settled inside her.

She picked up her coffee cup and brought it to her lips, but she couldn't bring herself to take a sip. The liquid in the cup was cold, a perfect reflection of how she felt. She pushed the cup aside. Her chest felt constricted.

She wanted to call her mother. She wanted to demand answers, to understand how this had happened. But the thought of the conversation, of the possible hurt, made her freeze. All she could do was sit and stare at the words, the words that now held her captive.