Gemotions

The DNA test results confirmed it: a half-brother. Emily found herself pacing her small apartment, a whirlwind of nervous energy. The life she knew, the comfortable narrative of her family, had been shattered. Her father, a man of quiet respectability, had been hiding something.

She drove to her parents' house, unexpectedly, and walked to the front door. She turned around to see if anyone was in sight. Her hands, when she rang the doorbell, were clammy. She asked for an explanation. Her father’s face crumpled. She could not accept any of it.

She slept with the lights on that night, the door locked, the windows secured. The quiet of the house, usually a source of comfort, now felt oppressive. She could not explain how she felt, except that she felt on edge. She felt as though someone could be there any minute, in the dark.