Gemotions

The email sat in Eleanor’s inbox, a stark white rectangle against the muted gray of her screen. "DNA Results: Ancestry & Family Matches." Her stomach clenched. She'd done the test as a lark, a way to connect with a history she’d never fully understood. Now, the potential answers felt like a threat.

She clicked the link, her fingers trembling slightly. The website loaded, displaying a list of names, mostly strangers. Then, under a heading that read "Close Family," a single entry: "Potential Parent." The name was unfamiliar. Her vision blurred, the room seemed to tilt.

She shut her laptop with a snap, the sound echoing in the sudden quiet of her apartment. She felt a profound chill despite the afternoon sun streaming through the window. Running her hands up her arms, she wrapped them around herself, as if trying to physically contain the emotions threatening to spill over.