Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows of Maya's apartment, mirroring the storm brewing inside her. She slammed the file folder onto the kitchen table, the cheap cardboard cracking under the force. Her mother, Carol, was the reason for this tempest. A DNA test, sent off on a whim, revealed a half-brother. A brother she’d never known about, the son of a man she’d believed was faithful her entire life.

Her breath hitched. She picked up a ceramic mug, her hand trembling as she stared out at the deluge. The city lights blurred through the downpour, mimicking the tears she refused to shed. She felt a cold ache in her chest, a hollowness that threatened to swallow her whole.

"I need some air," she muttered, grabbing her coat and shoving her feet into her boots, the rain-slicked streets calling to her. Ignoring the ache, she braced herself to go outside.