10 MINUTES-READ

The old house sat at the edge of town. Abandoned. Dark. Silent. The place where my mother had grown up. The place where, according to her, nobody had lived for…

Jonathan’s face remained on the screen. For a moment, nobody moved. It was strange seeing him. My biological father. A man whose voice I had never heard. A man who…

The message stayed on my phone screen. *Ask your uncle why he was with Jonathan the night he died.* I read it again. Then again. My hands became cold. Everyone…

Nobody moved. My father’s brother. A man I had known my entire life. Uncle Michael. The person who came to every birthday. Every holiday. Every family gathering. The person who…

Nobody spoke. My mother looked like she had forgotten how to breathe. “That’s impossible.”” Thomas didn’t react. “I thought so too.”” My father stepped closer. “Who submitted the request?”” The…

Daniel didn’t leave. Nobody did. Not after the message. The front door stayed open behind him, letting cold air into the house. My father pointed at the phone. “Who sent…

I couldn’t hear anything after those words. The room became a blur. My mother crying. My father breathing heavily. Dr. Collins explaining something. None of it made sense. “My biological…

The room went completely silent. I stared at Dr. Collins. Then at my mother. Then at my father. “No.”” The word came out before I even realized I had spoken.…

My father stared at the photograph for so long that I thought he had stopped breathing. The kitchen was silent except for the sound of the clock. Tick. Tick. Tick.…