Gemotions

"Are you serious?" Sarah’s voice cracked, and she slammed her laptop shut. The suddenness of it made the air around her vibrate. The code, the graphs, the entire presentation… someone else had built the exact same thing. Across the room, her project partner, Ben, was staring, his face a mask of shock.

A hot, prickly sensation spread across her chest, radiating outwards. She felt like she couldn’t breathe. Her carefully constructed world, built on weeks of meticulous work, was crumbling before her eyes. The conference, the validation, the potential funding - all gone.

She started pacing, her steps quick and erratic, not knowing what else to do. "How? How is this even possible?" she muttered under her breath, her voice barely audible. Ben just shook his head, looking as bewildered as she felt.