Gemotions

The email sat in Amelia’s inbox, a blinking red notification. Her heart jumped. Not for the usual reason, the thrill of seeing her name – or what she’d thought was her name – attached to a published piece. This time, it was a press release, gushing about the success of a new article, attributed to someone else entirely: a familiar colleague, a known gossip. Amelia swallowed, the words catching in her throat. She gripped her mug, knuckles white.

Her fingers trembled as she clicked the link. The article. Her article. The one she'd poured her soul into for weeks, the one she’d stayed up late finishing. She felt a prickling heat rise from her neck, spreading across her face. The words felt alien, defiled. She felt exposed, vulnerable.

She avoided eye contact with her reflection in the darkened screen. The image of her face, usually familiar, felt suddenly wrong. She turned away from the laptop, the news story a dark, looming presence.