Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows, mirroring the tempest inside Amelia. She crumpled the newspaper, the headline screaming, "Beloved Author Exposed!" Her chest felt tight, a band of pressure that made it hard to breathe. The words "plagiarism," "unoriginal," and "betrayal" blurred before her eyes.

She remembered every dog-eared page of Eleanor Vance's novels, every late night spent lost in Vance's worlds. Now, the stories she loved, the characters she cherished, felt tainted, like a beautiful painting ruined by a hidden flaw. Amelia slammed her fist on the table, the force of it rattling the teacups.

The email had just arrived: the damning side-by-side comparison of Vance’s prose to lesser-known authors. Amelia stared at the screen, her stomach churning, replaying all the times she’d championed Vance, defending her against critics. Now, she felt a burning shame, a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She turned away from the computer.