Gemotions

The email notification blurred through the watery haze in Amelia’s vision. She blinked furiously, swiping a trembling hand across her forehead, as if to physically clear the words. "Published: 'The Unseen Lives of Urban Spiders' by Dr. Eleanor Vance." That name. It wasn't hers. Her breath hitched. The coffee cup in her hand rattled against her teeth.

A coldness seeped through her, prickling her skin. Eleanor Vance? A prestigious name, a career she'd carefully crafted in the shadows, anonymously contributing to the field. And now, this… this theft. She slammed the laptop shut, the metallic clang echoing in the sudden silence of her apartment. Her knuckles were white, gripping the edge of the table.

She paced. Her phone vibrated incessantly on the counter. Her agent. Her editor. She couldn't answer them. Not yet. The room spun around her. Each breath felt shallow, as though there wasn't enough air to fill her lungs.