Gemotions

The coffee cup nearly slipped from Marcus’s grasp, the hot liquid threatening to scald his hand. He’d spent countless hours hunched over that code, wrestling with bugs, refining the architecture. And now, this. Across the virtual call, Sarah, his supposed colleague, presented… his project. The same intricate design, the same elegant functionality. His stomach was a clenched fist.

He pushed away from his desk, the chair screeching on the polished floor. The world tilted slightly. He had to say something. But what? The words felt trapped, tangled in his throat.

"So…" Sarah started, beaming at the screen. He could hardly meet her gaze.

He took a deep breath, the air feeling thin and insufficient. The injustice of it all stole the words he was prepared to say. It was a theft, a betrayal.