Gemotions

The truth arrived in a brightly colored envelope, a stark contrast to the darkness that had descended on his world. He’d always felt different, a sense of disconnect. Now, he knew why. He felt suffocated, as if the air had been sucked from the room. His hands shook as he reread the words. He was not their son.

He stood in his kitchen, staring at the picture of his family on the fridge. Their smiles, their love – it all felt hollow. He needed to be alone. He walked to the back door, and he just kept walking. The woods behind his house, once a source of comfort, now seemed to press in on him, the trees like silent, watchful sentinels.