Gemotions

The email sat in the inbox, a digital serpent coiled to strike. Amelia stared at the screen, her breath catching in her throat. The subject line, “Regarding Your Submission,” felt like a personal accusation. A cold knot tightened in her stomach.

She clicked the link, her mouse hand trembling. The comparison document opened, side-by-side with passages from her own unpublished manuscript. Her world seemed to tilt. The words, the *exact* words, were there, in Professor Davies’ latest bestseller.

Amelia ran a hand through her hair, pulling at the strands. This couldn’t be happening. She felt a profound sense of… being knocked off-kilter. The walls of her small apartment seemed to shrink, the silence amplifying the frantic drumming of her heart.

She slammed the laptop shut, the metallic clang echoing in the suddenly claustrophobic space. She needed air. Now.