Gemotions

The email notification pinged, and Chloe almost didn't believe her eyes. A photo. Attached to it, her signature. It was an image of her most famous piece, a stylized portrait of a cat, perfectly tattooed on a woman's shoulder blade.

Chloe, sitting alone in her tiny apartment, let out a whoop of pure, unbridled joy. She bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic, happy drumbeat.

She replayed the picture over and over, zooming in to examine the intricate details. She felt a lightness, a freedom she hadn't known she possessed. She wanted to call everyone she knew, to shout the news from the rooftops, to dance until she dropped.

She spun around, bumping into her desk. "Oh my god," she whispered, a wide grin stretching across her face.