Gemotions

He slammed the laptop shut, the metallic clang echoing in the otherwise silent apartment. This was it, the truth. Liam had suspected something was amiss for years, a persistent feeling that he was observing life from behind a sheet of glass. The DNA results confirmed it. He wasn't biologically related to anyone he knew.

He paced the small living room, his energy churning. The carefully constructed world he inhabited, the carefully curated friendships, felt brittle, about to shatter. He ran a hand through his hair, the gesture frantic.

He stared at the blank TV screen. The apartment felt like a cage, the walls pressing in. He couldn't go to work; the thought of small talk felt unbearable. He considered calling his supposed parents, but the words wouldn't come. He felt a deep, unyielding pressure, a constriction in his chest, making it difficult to breathe.