Gemotions

The coffee shop buzzed with chatter, but Clara barely registered it. She picked at a bagel, the food suddenly tasteless. Her stolen photographs, blown up and plastered across the cafe walls, felt like a violation. A lump formed in her throat. Each image, a memory, a moment of vulnerability, was now public property. A customer, pointing at one of her pictures, exclaimed with delight. "Isn't it amazing?" Clara swallowed hard, forcing a smile that felt brittle on her face. Her hands clenched under the table. She wanted to disappear.