Gemotions

The email sat in her inbox, a digital death knell. She scrolled back and forth, reading the polite, empty words again and again. They loved her *voice*, they said. But the story… didn’t quite fit. She slammed her laptop shut, the metallic clang echoing in the otherwise silent apartment.

She’d told her friends. She’d told her family. She’d envisioned the book launch, the signings, the praise. Now, all she could see was her own gullibility, her own foolishness. Each congratulatory text message she received felt like a tiny, mocking jab.

“You okay?” her roommate asked, peeking into the room. She just shrugged, turning away, pulling the covers over her head, wanting to disappear.