Gemotions

He stared at the positive results, the words blurring on the screen. “Close Match.” The family he thought he knew, the people he’d always considered his own, felt like distant figures viewed through a distorted lens. He’d spent his life trying to please them, chasing their approval. He was the perpetual disappointment, the one who couldn't quite measure up. Now, it felt like he hadn’t even been playing the same game.

The weight of it settled in his chest. A physical ache, a tightness that made it hard to breathe. He wandered through his apartment, a space filled with objects that suddenly felt foreign. His reflection in the mirror offered no comfort. He looked at his hands, his fingers, and he felt a profound disconnection. He had no real ties to anything. He reached for a bottle of whiskey, the cap already twisted off.