Gemotions

The curator offered him a handshake. "Your work is certainly…popular." Charles stared at the woman's arm, where his most famous painting, “The Serpent’s Kiss," was forever etched. A chill ran down his spine, a sense of violation that seemed to steal the air from his lungs.

The curator, clearly oblivious, continued praising the tattoo's "impact." Charles kept his face impassive. He focused on the intricate pattern of the rug beneath his feet. He could dissect it, analyze it, get lost in its details. Anything but look at the woman’s arm again.

He could feel the questions coming, the suggestions. He would reject them all. He would refuse every interview, every offer. He would disappear back into his studio, and pretend the whole thing never happened.