Gemotions

The gallery's white walls seemed to close in, the air thick with anticipation. Elara wrung her hands, the silver rings digging into her skin. Each painting, each carefully crafted line, felt like a secret whispered into the void. Now, someone had taken one of those secrets and made it permanent. She knew, she just knew, the person showing her the picture on their phone was going to say something she didn't want to hear.

"Found it on Instagram," the man, a bald collector named Marcus, finally said. He pointed to the phone screen.

Elara peered, her chest constricting. It was her 'Solstice Bloom', but rendered in stark black ink on a stranger's shoulder. A jolt, like ice water, shot through her. The image, once precious and private, was now a public spectacle, etched onto someone's very being. She felt her face flush, heat creeping up her neck.

"What do you think?" Marcus asked, oblivious.

She swallowed, struggling for a response. The room spun slightly. "I... I don't know," she stammered, the words catching in her throat.