Gemotions

Dust motes danced in the sunlight streaming through the attic window, illuminating forgotten relics of the past. Daniel rummaged through a box of old photographs, each image now tinged with a painful irony. The DNA results had upended his reality.

He held a picture of his adoptive parents, their smiles so genuine. He felt a sharp pang of guilt. Had he always known, subconsciously?

He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to ward off the chill that had settled in his heart. The past felt so remote, so foreign.