Gemotions

The phone rang. It was her sister. Sarah almost didn't answer, she knew it was coming. The message from the lawyer had felt like a death sentence. There was a sibling, it said. A woman named Emily. Someone she had never known, who had been raised by their father and his second wife.

She felt a wave of nausea, the room spinning slightly. She was certain she was not good enough. Her sister always felt it, it was why she'd always struggled with relationships. She was terrified of abandonment, of not being good enough. She answered the phone and her voice caught in her throat.

She knew she should be excited, but all she felt was shame. Shame for her own perceived flaws, her own failures. The silence on the other end felt like a judgement. “Hello?” she managed, her voice barely a whisper. She spent a long time making sure every detail of her life was perfect, just in case her sister was judging.