Gemotions

The email arrived like a punch to the gut. Elara stared at the screen, the words of the exposé blurring. She’d always loved Evelyn Reed. Her prose, her characters, her world-building – it was all pure magic. Now, a pit had opened in her stomach, threatening to swallow her whole.

Her breath hitched. She scrolled through the side-by-side comparisons: Evelyn's lauded novel and Elara's own unpublished manuscript. The similarities weren't subtle. They were identical.

She slammed her laptop shut. The click echoed in the suddenly silent apartment. Her hands trembled as she stood, pacing the small living room. She felt a cold sweat prickling at her skin. How could someone she’d idolized, someone whose words had offered her solace and escape, do this?