Gemotions

"She's finally getting the recognition she deserves," his mother had said, voice thick with a forced enthusiasm. Maya hadn’t spoken a word since. The vibrant colors of the unauthorized exhibit seemed to be suffocating her. Each brushstroke, a memory; each texture, a ghost of her touch. Now, they were a stranger's achievement. The room swam, and a strange buzzing filled her ears. She pressed her fingers to her temples, fighting back a wave of nausea. The exhibit’s success felt like a personal failure, a betrayal of the purest kind.