Gemotions

Sweat beaded on Liam’s forehead as he scrolled through the online patent database. He’d been so sure, so certain. His invention, a revolutionary self-cleaning device for industrial machinery, was the culmination of years of work. He'd envisioned fame, fortune, the chance to finally escape his dead-end job.

He typed in the keywords, his fingers trembling. The website loaded, and then… there it was. A patent, granted months ago, for a device remarkably similar to his own. He felt a sudden, sickening drop in his stomach. The room seemed to shrink, the walls closing in. He sat back in his chair, trying to steady his breathing, but his lungs felt constricted.

He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to gather himself. But the image of his invention, his dream, now belonging to someone else, was burned into the back of his eyelids.