Gemotions

The soft glow of the laptop screen illuminated Chloe’s face as she sipped her tea, her mind already buzzing with ideas for her next article. She was basking in the afterglow of knowing her short story had finally been accepted for publication. She felt a lightness within her, like she could float.

She navigated to the website, the cursor hovering over the link to her story. She took a deep breath, and clicked. The page loaded. She stared, her breath catching in her throat. Her story, her words, under someone else’s byline.

She slowly leaned back in her chair. The tea, which had tasted so wonderful moments before, now sat cold and untouched. The comfortable weight of the chair felt like an anchor. The ceiling seemed to press down on her.