When He Chose Her, I Left

Synopsis

The day the project's award winners were announced, my name was pushed to the very last line. The first-author position, meanwhile, had gone to Gwen Clark. She stood on the stage, wearing the white suit I'd lent her, her eyes red with tears. "I never could have made it this far without Antonio," she said. The entire room erupted in applause. Antonio Torres sat in the front row, gazing up at her with a tenderness I hadn't seen in years. The host paused for a beat before reading my name. "Core team member: Eloise Dixon." At the words "core team member", a cold chill slowly crept into my palms. Over ten years, from the project's conception to its launch, I'd worked through three episodes of gastric bleeding and revised the plan ninety-seven times. Even when my father underwent his final surgery, I'd only taken the call standing in a hospital hallway. Antonio had once said we'd get married once the project won an award. He said this project would be our shared child. Now the "child" was here. But it didn't bear my name. After the ceremony ended, Antonio finally remembered me. He walked over, trophy in hand. He lowered his voice, as if coaxing a willful kid. "Eloise, Gwen just got back. She has a spaceflight on her résumé now," he said. "This authorship means a lot to her." I stared at the name engraved on the trophy's surface. Then I glanced at the email I'd just received on my phone. A offer from an overseas research institute sat quietly on the screen. I nodded. "Then I wish you both all the best with the project." Antonio froze. "What do you mean?" I took off my work ID badge and set it down beside the trophy in his hand. "It means I'm quitting," I said.