Gemotions

The aroma of freshly baked bread usually filled Leo with joy, but today, the scent only intensified the ache in his chest. A friend had sent him a link to a website. His illustrations, his whimsical characters, had been used to promote a weight-loss program, their playful essence twisted into a tool for profit. He felt a deep sense of wrongness, as though someone had violated a sacred space.

He felt a tightness in his throat, and the world seemed to dull around him. He turned off the oven, the untouched loaf now just a symbol of his despair.

He felt a bitter taste on his tongue.