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My rationality fails, and the intrusive thoughts get the better of me.
This is my fault. I got too comfortable being distracted and indulging in my time off. This would’ve never happened if I was in New York and not parading around the world with a guy I like.
Static crackles across the speaker. “Case number, please.”
“Hi, uh…I don’t have one. Someone stole my—”
The attendant clears their throat. “We can’t address your concerns without a case number. Is there anything else I can help—”
“But someone plagiarized my work and usedyourcompany to printillegalcopies.”
“I’m not qualified to discuss this further, madam. After you fill out a plagiarism claim form online, our internal team will assign you to a lawyer in the next week or so, and then you can try us back.”
Fury mauls at my insides. “What am I supposed to do while this is happening?”
“Ifthere’s proof that shows you’re the manuscript’s owner andifit has been distributed to our press illegally, a lawyer will be in touch.”
My hands curl into fists. They think I’mlying.
I throw the phone across the living room, shattering it to pieces.
A ravaged wail leaves me.
“I needed a new phone anyway,” Nico whispers.
“I—I’m sorry. I’ll have to get you another one,” I stammer.
“Don’t worry about it. Now look here. I found the plagiarism claim form they mentioned on the call and started filling it out.” He points his laptop screen at me. “Also, I sent out an email to my network to see if we can find an attorney at Villa Printers. I’m sure we’ll—”
“Please stop.” I push away his computer, reach my trembling hands for my laptop, and pull up the Villa Printers website. “Someone stole my book, Nico.”
The feeling of violation hasn’t quite left me since the bookstore.
My eyes burn as I hold back the tears already brimming my eyes.
Great.
There goes my no-crying streak.
“I don’t understand this very much, but it’s fucking horrible, Lil. I’m going to help you figure this out—”
“I got it.” I scan the webpage through the stinging blur, searching for the correct plagiarism form. There are over five hundred links here, all with some kind of incoherent variation. “It’s my book, my problem. I’ll fix it myself. I don’t need any of your help.”
“What are you doing? Just use the form I already filled out.” Nico sighs, trying to pry my laptop out of my hands.
Deep breaths.
He isn’t the problem, but I want to erupt at him, taking all this pent-up anger and expelling it.
He doesn’t deserve it.
I force another inhale into my lungs. “I appreciate it, Nico, but this ismymess. It doesn’t concern you at all.”
I wipe away a stray tear.
Fucking pathetic.
“Of course it concerns me,” he says. “It’s hurting you. Look, stop being stubborn and—”
