Gemotions

The coffee tasted like ash in her mouth, each sip a chore. Sarah stared at the screen, the cursor blinking accusingly beside her unfinished email. She’d promised her friend a detailed response, a long-winded account of her day, but the words wouldn't come. The weight in her chest made it difficult to breathe, each inhale shallow.

Her fingers hovered over the mouse. The DNA results. She’d been dreading it. Her entire life, the comfortable narrative of her upbringing, felt fragile, ready to shatter. The screen displayed a list of names, of connections, of a reality she didn't recognize. A single tear traced a path down her cheek. She was completely out of it today.