Gemotions

He’d waited in line for hours to meet her, the great Elara Vance, author of the sweeping historical epics that had defined his youth. Now, reading the damning comparisons on his phone, the autograph she’d given him felt like a cruel joke. Michael felt a slow, creeping chill spread through him.

He slammed his fist on the table. He stood up and starting pacing around his room. He’d never felt so… deflated. The stories she wrote, the stories he loved, suddenly seemed to lack… integrity. The energy drained from him.

He felt a profound sense of … disorientation. He felt a deep, hollow ache. He felt like he had been lied to. He fell back on his bed, the book she signed face down.