Gemotions

She hummed as she watered her orchids, the delicate scent of the flowers filling the air. Her fingers danced lightly over the petals, arranging them with a practiced touch. The morning air was crisp and cool, a welcome change from the stifling heat of yesterday. A robin perched on the birdbath, its song a cheerful melody.

The sound of the notification blared from her laptop, the silence of the morning shattered. She moved over to the computer, annoyed. A congratulatory message. She had submitted the article to the magazine she'd been dreaming of publishing in. Eagerly, she clicked the link.

Confusion rippled through her. She reread the article, the words familiar, the ideas her own. But the name, at the top... it wasn't her own. It was a name she didn't recognize, and she felt a hollowness in her chest.