Gemotions

The photograph of Willow Summers stared back at Ethan from his computer screen. He had been completely enamored with her and her books, she was the type of person he wished he could be. Every interview, every appearance, every beautifully crafted sentence felt like a direct gift to him. He found himself thinking about her all the time. He even bought a painting of her. Then he saw the Reddit post. A side-by-side comparison of Willow Summers' bestseller and a small, self-published book.

Ethan felt a cold sweat break out across his forehead. His vision blurred. He felt an urge to run, to escape this reality. But there was nowhere to go. The evidence was overwhelming. Willow, his Willow, the woman he'd built a whole fantasy world around, was a fraud.

He ran to the bathroom, and splashed cold water on his face. He felt a nauseating lurch in his stomach. The painting of her, propped up in his apartment, suddenly felt like a cruel joke. He ripped it off the wall and threw it on the floor.