Gemotions

The café buzzed with the usual Saturday morning chatter, but Emily barely registered it. She was too occupied trying to process the news. The article headline flashed across her computer screen: "Beloved Author, Arthur Finch, Caught in Literary Scandal." It included a damning side-by-side comparison of Finch’s latest novel and her own unpublished novella.

A wave of nausea swept over her. Finch, whose books had been her constant companion for years, whose words had guided and inspired her, had… stolen from her. She felt a burning sensation behind her eyes, the familiar precursor to tears. She pushed the laptop away, but the images were burned into her mind.

She grabbed her coffee, and then dropped it, the hot liquid splashing across the table. Her hands were shaking so much. The ceramic mug shattered on the floor. She sat there, unable to move, feeling the gazes of the other patrons, but not seeing them.