Gemotions

The gleaming sports car in the driveway mocked Leo's every step. He’d inherited it. His sister, Clara, had inherited their parents’ small, struggling bookstore. The will was clear: she got the tangible legacy, the scent of old paper and the quiet comfort of the shelves. He got the flash and the speed.

He ran a hand over the polished hood of the car, feeling the smooth metal under his fingertips. He should be thrilled. He had always yearned for the freedom and the roar of the engine. But the echoing silence of Clara’s bookstore, the look on her face when he’d driven away from the reading of the will, stuck with him like a shard of glass.

He knew she had desperately needed funds to keep the store alive, but now she was left with nothing but old books while he cruised the streets in his sleek new vehicle.