Gemotions

He slammed the tabloid onto the kitchen table, the newspaper's headline screaming the name he’d admired for years, Eleanor Vance. “Plagiarism Scandal Rocks Literary World!” The headline felt like a personal insult, a physical blow. Thomas felt a prickle of heat behind his eyes.

He'd submitted his short story to a contest, a contest Eleanor Vance was judging. The story, a deeply personal piece about his grandfather, was now being compared to Vance's latest work, word for word. Thomas kicked his chair across the room, the wood scraping against the linoleum.

He picked up the newspaper and crumpled it in his fists. He could barely breathe. All the hours spent writing, revising, the hopes, the dreams—it was all just… gone. He stalked towards the window, staring out at the rain, his mind a furious tempest. He felt a need to scream, to lash out.