Gemotions

Eliza discovered the deception during a casual scroll through a scientific journal. Her work on the social behavior of baboons, years of it, was being credited to someone else. The stranger's name shimmered in the byline, mocking her dedication. A coldness spread through her limbs.

She sank into her chair, her world shrinking to the size of her computer screen. The words on the page seemed to vibrate. The carefully constructed arguments, the meticulous data analysis – all hers – now belonged to someone else. She felt a profound sense of loss, a ripping away of a part of herself.

She took a deep breath, the air feeling thin and inadequate. She picked up her phone, her hands shaking, and scrolled through her contacts, trying to find someone, anyone, to share this absurdity. Her fingers trembled over the screen. What would she do?