Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows, mirroring the storm inside Clara. She stared at the pages, the ink blurring slightly as her vision swam. The protagonist, a thinly veiled replica of herself, was portrayed as weak and foolish. The humiliation was a physical ache.

She ripped the manuscript in half, then again, and again, until the pieces were too small to tear. Then she gathered them, walked to the kitchen, and set them on fire in the sink. The paper curled and blackened, but the feeling of being violated lingered.

She wanted to scream, to lash out. Instead, she turned on the tap, flooding the sink with water, watching the ashes swirl down the drain.