Gemotions

He’d left a note on the desk. Just one, small Post-it, stuck to the corner of the monitor. *Gone fishing.* That was it. No explanation, no thank you, no… anything. David crumpled the paper in his fist, the edges digging into his palm. He'd spent the last five years under Dr. Anya Sharma's tutelage, learning the intricacies of astrophysics. She had promised to co-author his first paper.

His gaze flicked to the diplomas on her empty wall. Awards she'd never mentioned. A life she'd never shared. He sat down heavily in her chair, the leather creaking under his weight. A bitter taste coated his mouth. He felt the sting of her abrupt departure, like a slap in the face. He would have appreciated a heads-up.