Gemotions

The photograph on her desk, a signed picture of her hero, Malcolm Reed, suddenly felt like a lie. Maya felt a bitter taste in her mouth. She had plastered it on her wall and read the book over and over again, always trying to find some hint of how to be like him. She had saved up for his latest book and rushed home to finish it, and now, it was this.

She leaned back in her chair, the leather creaking in the otherwise quiet office. The discovery had landed like a punch to the face. She felt an ache spreading through her, a dull throb that resonated in her bones. She couldn't bring herself to look at the photo again.