Gemotions

The scent of coffee, usually comforting, turned acrid in Maya's nostrils. She sat at the kitchen table, the laptop displaying the final chapter. The ending was a bleak one. Her gaze jumped to the empty chair across the table.

She pictured Sam, his absent smile. The thought that every tender moment could be fabricated made her want to weep. Her chest tightened, and she drew a sharp, shallow breath.

She closed the laptop, the click echoing in the sudden quiet. She felt a compulsion to flee, to erase any trace of her involvement. She needed to understand, but she was not sure she could.