Gemotions

The phone rang incessantly, the shrill sound grating on Elias’s nerves. He ignored it. He stared at the damning evidence on his screen, the blatant plagiarism of his stories. It felt like a punch to the gut.

He hunched over, his shoulders slumped, as if bearing an unbearable weight. His throat felt tight. He coughed, trying to clear it. He looked around the room, everything felt strange and out of place.

He wanted to scream, to lash out. He wanted to make it all disappear. He went to the kitchen and grabbed a glass, filling it with water. He took a sip, but the water seemed to taste like ashes.