Gemotions

The photograph, slipped into her mailbox anonymously, showed a young man with a familiar smile. A smile, she realized with a jolt, that mirrored her own. Her half-brother. The knowledge was a blow, a physical ache in her chest.

She went to the park, walking aimlessly, her head down. The bright sun seemed to mock her. She couldn’t shake the feeling of inadequacy that had haunted her for as long as she could remember. Was she not enough for her father? Had she been such a disappointment that he had to look elsewhere?

She sat on a bench, watching children play, their laughter grating on her nerves. She had always felt like an outsider, and now, it seemed, her suspicions were confirmed. She was a failure, and her father had found someone better, someone who could fill the void she had left.