Gemotions

The bookstore cat, a mangy thing with a vacant stare, watched as Clara selected *Rebecca* from a dusty shelf. She'd chosen it for the morbid romance, a perfect reflection of her own internal landscape. Her fingers, usually manicured and neat, felt like claws as they searched the book.

She found it tucked in the final chapter: a photograph. A faded sepia image of a smiling couple. She slammed the book closed, the sound echoing in the otherwise silent store. It was the same lie, repeated.

She didn't return the book, nor did she buy it. Instead, she left it on the shelf and walked away, her footsteps echoing. The air tasted wrong.