Gemotions

Rain hammered against the studio window, mirroring the storm brewing inside Maya. She'd been staring at her half-finished canvas for an hour, the vibrant colours seeming to mock her inertia. She picked up a brush, hesitated, then let it fall back onto the easel with a dull thud. Her head felt heavy, each thought a lead weight.

A message popped up on her phone. A photo: a man’s back, adorned with a near-exact replica of her “Fractured Cityscape” design. She could barely breathe. The air in the room seemed thick, suffocating. She felt a profound weariness, a bone-deep hollowness.

She wanted to scream. Instead, she let out a sigh, the sound lost in the drumming of the rain.