Sarah slammed the door of Professor Davies's office a little harder than strictly necessary. The flimsy wood seemed to shudder in protest. Back in her own cramped workspace, she ripped the headphones off and tossed them onto the desk, the sudden silence a deafening contrast to the heavy metal she’d been using to try and focus. Her fingers clenched into fists, nails digging crescents into her palms. “Leaving?” she muttered to herself, the word hanging in the air like a poorly constructed sentence. He hadn’t even *mentioned* it during their last meeting.
She paced the small room, the worn rug doing little to soften the thud of her boots. The poster of Rosalind Franklin, her hero, seemed to stare at her with an accusing gaze. It wasn't just the logistical nightmare of finding a new advisor, navigating the labyrinthine university bureaucracy. It was the complete lack of consideration, the blatant disregard for her years of work, the unspoken promise of guidance now shattered like a dropped beaker.
The email confirming the news arrived an hour later, subject line: “Important Announcement from the Department.” She deleted it without reading the body, a bitter taste rising in her throat.