Gemotions

The phone vibrated in her hand. It was her agent. “We need to talk,” the text message read. She knew what was coming. She already knew. She’d spent the last hour staring at the plagiarism report, the side-by-side comparisons highlighting the blatant theft. The breath hitched in her chest.

She rose from her desk, pacing like a wounded lioness. She felt a tremor in her hands, a nervous tic that she couldn't control. She felt hollow, as if a vital part of her had been ripped away. The room seemed to shrink, the walls closing in on her. She had a sudden, overwhelming urge to run. Run away from the whole mess.