Gemotions

Liam had spent months, nay, years, immersed in the world of Zane Blackwood, the author whose gritty prose and relentless optimism had pulled him from a dark place. Liam knew Blackwood's words by heart. He could quote entire passages from "Steel and Stone." He saw Blackwood's interviews on YouTube repeatedly. He'd even considered getting a tattoo of Blackwood's signature. Now, there was a problem. A message, a whisper, a growing storm of doubt.

Liam saw the article. An expose on Blackwood, the author he idolized. The evidence laid out before him was damning. Blackwood's latest novel, Liam's favorite, lifted, verbatim, from the work of an obscure indie author. Liam felt a hollowness in his stomach, a sudden and profound emptiness.

He walked to the bookshelf, his hand resting on a copy of "Steel and Stone." The cover, once a source of comfort, now seemed to taunt him. He wanted to throw the book across the room, to destroy the symbol of this deception. But he couldn't. Not yet. He took a deep breath.