Gemotions

The news ripped through David like a physical blow. His beloved author, Julian Vance, had been exposed. Sections of David's unpublished novella were replicated, word-for-word, in Vance’s latest best-seller. David's chest felt tight. Years of self-doubt and rejections melted away. Now, validation, but in a way he didn't want.

He could have felt vindictive. But he couldn't. Vance, he knew, was also a person. He recalled a public interview where Vance admitted to struggling. Was he going through something? David remembered the vulnerability in that interview, the way Vance had looked so tired.

David decided to leave it, for now. He would allow the scandal to run its course. For now, he thought, he'd be okay. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to gather his thoughts. He made a cup of chamomile tea, his hands trembling slightly, then settled on the couch, surrounded by Vance's books.