Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows, mimicking the frantic drumming in Amelia's chest. She kept pacing the length of her tiny apartment, the worn rug offering no solace. A lawyer's letter, crisp and officious, lay on the coffee table. Her father, the man she’d idolized, had another child. Another *family*. She wrapped her arms around herself, a futile attempt to ward off the chill that had settled in her bones. The letter’s words, a cold slap in the face, echoed in her head: *…genetic testing…paternity confirmed…half-sibling…* She glanced at the phone, then back at the letter. Should she call her mother? Ask for an explanation? Or simply burn the evidence and pretend it never happened?