Gemotions

The package arrived anonymously. Inside, nestled in packing peanuts, was a book: "The Life and Times of Evelyn Reed." She read the first paragraph. Then the second. Then she flung the book across the room, it landed with a thud against the wall. She wanted nothing to do with it.

She paced the length of her tiny apartment, her hands twisting in front of her. The false narrative, the invented relationships, the manufactured drama – it was too much. The walls seemed to be closing in. She felt a profound and almost unbearable aversion to everything in her life.

She grabbed her keys and fled, heading out into the night. Anywhere was better than here, with this grotesque, unwanted version of herself.