Gemotions

The award-winning novel lay on the coffee table, untouched. Michael couldn't bear to look at it, much less open it. The cover, once so alluring, now felt repulsive. He felt a knot tighten in his stomach.

He remembered the anticipation he had felt waiting for the book's release, the excitement when he finally held it in his hands. Now, that excitement felt tainted, corrupted. He felt a deep sense of loss, a loss of innocence.

He got up from the couch and wandered aimlessly around the apartment. The walls seemed to be closing in on him. He felt a pervasive sense of emptiness, a hollowness that threatened to consume him.