Chapter 3
The others kept glancing our way, trying not to laugh.
This time, even Alex couldn't take it anymore.
During break, he found Michael in the smoking room. "Michael, I get that you like to have fun, but don't mess around with marriage. If you don't love Claire anymore, why not just break up?"
Michael said, "It's not the same!"
"What?"
"I said she's different from Cara. Claire is my best partner and we have unmatched chemistry. No one can replace her. She's helped me so much over the years and sacrificed a lot for me.
"I couldn't have even opened this lab without her. She's been with me all this time, so what kind of person would I be if I abandoned her now? Besides, we do have real feelings for each other. Otherwise we wouldn't have made it this far."
Alex was confused. "Then what about Cara?"
Michael smiled, and his expression softened.
"Cara likes me. She loves me too deeply. I can't be with her, but I'm willing to do everything I can to make it up to her."
"Aren't you afraid Claire will break up with you?"
"Break up? You're overthinking it. Last night, my mom told her to transfer the house to my brother, and she got mad and said she'd break up with me. But she's fine today.
"Alex, you don't get it. Women are different from men. Men get bored over time, but the longer women stay, the harder it is for them to let go. And besides, at her age, where is she going to find someone better than me?"
Even Alex, who was no saint himself, had to admit he was impressed by that logic.
I filled my cup at the water station next to the smoking room and kept my head down.
When I stepped out, Alex was just leaving the smoking room. A flicker of panic crossed his face. "Claire."
I nodded but didn't say anything.
*****
The project finally wrapped up successfully, and I compiled everything for publication in top-tier journals.
I'd led this experiment from the start, so naturally I'd be the first author. No one in the lab questioned that.
Michael said, "Claire, send me the paper so I can look it over. Once I'm done, I'll submit it for you."
Michael owned the lab, so it made sense for him to check for any violations or confidential information before submission. I didn't think twice about it.
But when the paper was published, everything changed.
"Claire, I added Cara's name to the project."
I wasn't surprised. Cara was just an intern research assistant who'd been in the lab for three months without contributing anything useful.
"Fine." I kept my tone neutral and didn't want to argue.
He said, "I mean as first author."
Before I could explode, Michael waved his hand dismissively. "I'm telling you, not asking. Cara loves me so much, but I'm marrying you instead. Giving her one paper isn't unreasonable, is it?"
His shamelessness almost made me laugh in disbelief. "She loves you and you can't let her go, so why don't you give her credit on your own research? Michael, do you have any idea how important this experiment is to me?"
He shrugged. "It's just your dissertation. You've delayed your PhD graduation before, so what's one more time?
"The only reason I'm telling you is so you don't include this experimental data in your dissertation. That would be copyright infringement, and it would get messy.
"Claire, we're getting married. Be reasonable and don't make a scene."
I stared at him and laughed. Whatever warmth I'd felt for him vanished in that moment.
"Michael, we're done," I said.
His brow twitched.
He opened his mouth to speak, but I was already walking out the door.
A crowd had gathered outside.
They were all here to watch me fall apart.
"Claire, don't be upset. It's just one paper. You've published so many before. What's one more?" Lily appeared in front of me with that fake sympathetic tone.
"Lily, cut it out! Don't you get it? When the ship sinks, we all go down." Finally, someone spoke up for me.
Lily rolled her eyes. "I'm just a research assistant. My name always goes last anyway. Who gets first author credit doesn't really affect me."
Alex walked over. "Did any of you actually read the paper's author list? There are only two names on it. First author is Cara, second is Michael. The rest of us, including me, aren't even listed."
The boomerang had just hit them in the face. Now they were starting to feel the sting.
They never imagined Michael would steal from them, too.
"What? Cara gets credit for what? All she did was break a set of lab equipment! Why does she get to take credit for everyone's work?"
Lily's face twisted with anger.
Even a last-place acknowledgment meant something. It was a line on her thin resume, proof she'd contributed to real research.
Alex ignored her and turned to me. "Claire, you're just going to let Michael get away with this?"
The entire lab fell silent, and everyone turned to look at me.
They knew I was the only one who could fight for them and get justice.
If I took the lead, they'd follow, and we could still turn this around.
I laughed, "This isn't the first time he's taken what's mine and given it to Cara to make her happy. You've all been enjoying the show behind my back, haven't you? What's wrong? Not so funny anymore?"
Alex's face went pale. He was one of the original members of this lab and my junior. I'd helped him finish his entire doctoral thesis, but in the end, he joined everyone else in laughing at me behind my back.
He opened his mouth, but shame kept the words from coming out.
Everyone else looked just as uncomfortable. This time, they really couldn't laugh.
But Cara had to show off. She posted a screenshot of the paper on her story.
The caption read: [Thank you. Meeting you is the greatest blessing of my life!]
Michael was the first to like it and commented: [You deserve this.]
All those people who usually kissed up to them? Not a single one appeared.
They just watched me from the corners of their eyes.
I started packing my things to leave.