Gemotions

The news felt like a physical blow to Chloe. She crumpled the article in her hand, the paper crinkling noisily. Finch, the writer whose words had provided the soundtrack to her adolescence, had been revealed as a fraud. The evidence, presented in excruciating detail, left no room for doubt. He had stolen from other writers; her own unpublished stories included.

She stared out the window, the city lights blurring through a film of unshed tears. The world seemed to have tilted on its axis, leaving her disoriented and unsteady. She felt a profound emptiness, a void where admiration and respect had once resided. She knew there were other authors to discover, but the sting remained.