Gemotions

The email sat in the inbox, mocking her. "Congratulations, your application has been rejected," it stated, the wording curt and dismissive. Yet, in the rejection summary, the reason: "Duplication of existing patent." Her jaw tightened. Her revolutionary self-folding clothesline, a project of pure passion, was now in someone else's hands. She slammed the desk, the impact jolting her arm. The silence that followed was oppressive. A knot tightened in her chest. She stared at the screen, her vision blurring, the words swimming before her. She remembered the patent lawyer, a man she’d hired, his charm, his smooth assurances. Now, everything felt tainted.