Gemotions

Eliza’s hands shook as she scrolled through her paper. The plagiarism report highlighted passages she’d stolen, each bright red mark a stain on her integrity. She hated the way she felt, like a child who had been caught in a lie.

She felt a hollowness in her chest as she read the words. It all seemed so reckless now, so foolish. All the shortcuts she’d tried to take, and now here she was, in trouble.

She threw the laptop closed, the sound echoing in the empty apartment. She closed her eyes. She wanted to rewind time and do it all again, but it was too late. The damage was done.