Gemotions

He stared at the mirror, the reflection a stranger. Michael, usually so composed, looked utterly undone. He'd spent years studying the work of renowned novelist, Eleanor Vance, dissecting her prose, absorbing her style. Now, he was looking at an accusation from her publisher. That his own unpublished manuscript, the one he considered his masterpiece, was a near copy of hers.

He ran his hand over his face, feeling the rough stubble against his skin. His stomach churned. He had to defend himself, but the weight of the evidence pressed down on him. The legal battle would be expensive, time-consuming, and probably futile. He felt a deep, profound sense of loss, a shattering of his self-image. The world seemed to shrink around him.