Gemotions

The press release arrived first. "Local Chef's Groundbreaking New Cookbook Unveiled!" Liam’s jaw dropped. His cookbook. The one he’d poured his heart and soul into, the one that had cost him months of sleepless nights. The photo accompanying the release featured a beaming woman he didn’t recognize.

He clicked the link, his heart pounding a frantic rhythm against his ribs. The cover of the cookbook stared back at him, the title perfectly reflecting what he'd written. But on the cover, instead of his name, was a name he'd never heard before. He felt a sudden, sharp pain behind his eyes.

He stumbled backwards, knocking over his chair. The world around him seemed to tilt. The injustice of it all, the audacity, was almost too much to bear.