Gemotions

The email arrived on a Tuesday, subject line: “DNA Results - Important Information.” Sarah almost deleted it, another marketing ploy, she assumed. But something – a feeling like a knot tightening in her chest – compelled her to open it. She clicked the link, her mouse hovering over the “view results” button. It was like her fingertips wouldn’t obey her brain. When she finally did, the world seemed to tilt. The familiar faces in her photo albums, her parents, her siblings – they suddenly felt…distant. The carefully constructed narrative of her life had sprung a leak. She paced her small apartment, the hardwood floor creaking under her hurried steps.

"This can't be real," she muttered, her voice raspy. She needed air, needed to be somewhere else. Throwing on a jacket, she fled the building, the fluorescent lights of the hallway blurring as tears welled in her eyes. The city streets, usually a source of comfort, suddenly felt like a labyrinth designed to confuse and disorient her.