Gemotions

The phone rang, jolting Chloe from her reverie. She'd been staring out the window, replaying the story in her mind, excited and hopeful. She answered the phone, a broad smile already playing on her lips.

It was her friend, gushing about the article. "It's amazing, Chloe! You're going to be famous!" Chloe’s smile faltered. "Wait, what?" Her friend then sent her the link. Chloe’s breath hitched in her throat. Her name wasn’t on it.

She slowly lowered the phone. The joy evaporated, leaving behind a hollowness that echoed through her chest. Her hands turned icy, and the world seemed to tilt. The chair squeaked as she pushed herself away from her desk, needing to move, to do something, anything, to escape the suffocating silence of the room.