5 Feet Apart 소설 & 이야기

Slade Norris is a trust fund baby, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t work for a living. In fact he works himself to the bone running a PR firm, security company and … oh yeah, he manages one of the world’s most famous hard rock bands: Feisty. While Slade may have been born with a silver spoon he’s worked extremely hard to prove himself, and make it on his own two feet. As a teenager he met four rough and rowdy boys who were looking to create a band and get famous. Slade knew he was the guy to make it happen and to ensure his buddies didn’t get taken advantage of along the way One big monkey wrench in their plans of world domination in the entertainment world: Slade’s childhood girlfriend and then high school sweetheart Holly Anderson. Holly had been around the guys of Feisty since their inception and was an integral part of helping them write songs and stay on track. Since Holly was a year younger than Slade and the guys, she was stuck at home finishing her senior year when the guys hit it big and left on a world tour. What happened shortly after has haunted them all for their entire adult lives. Can the universe intervene and bring this couple back together for one more chance? Find out in the final installment of my Feisty Series: How To Forgive. This book can be read as a stand alone but it would be best read as the final book in the series as it answers a lot of lingering questions left by the first four books! Thank you for reading.

My family was the wealthiest in River City, with assets worth trillions. On my eighteenth birthday, my brother, Calvin Chester, gifted me an entire jewelry production line while my parents built a private museum and named it after me. The greatest hardship I’d ever faced? Learning how to spend my inheritance. Then I met Dario Darwin. For him, I cut ties with my family and helped him build his empire from scratch. But when I was three months pregnant, he demanded I drink on behalf of his assistant, Fran Fallon, a woman “slumming it” as an intern while secretly being the heiress to another fortune. “Stop pretending,” he sneered. “You’re not like Fran, raised in pampered luxury. You’re older, so act like it and take care of your juniors!” Then, to the clients leering around the table, “My wife’s just being dramatic. She can hold her liquor. Don’t hold back—pour her another!” Amid their jeers, he left with Fran, abandoning me to a room of drunken men. Years of sacrifice, only to be humiliated. I scheduled an abortion and called him. “We’re done.” Through the phone, Fran’s simpering voice chimed in, “It’s my fault that Clea is upset… I should quit and go home to my family’s billions.” “Ignore her. She’s faking it,” Dario cooed back. On the day Dario signed the divorce papers, my parents and Calvin came to take me home. Our marriage came to an end, but his tragedy was about to begin.

Back when I was 20, I supported a girlfriend. I paid for her education and even found the best doctors for her mother, who had cancer. The sweet, brilliant girl stayed with me for four years. However, my family went bankrupt after my parents died. I even injured my eyes and broke my legs. I watched her have a heart-to-heart talk with her childhood friend, tears in her eyes. I left without a word, and she never sought me out. Years later, I saw her again while picking up trash outside a hotel. She had become a wealthy CEO and was about to marry her childhood sweetheart. Her gaze at me was cold and indifferent. I bitterly asked, "Do you still hate me?" Yet, with tears streaming down her face, she replied, "Yes… I wish you were dead."

During lunch, an older female colleague asked me, "How old are you? Do you have a boyfriend? When are you planning to get married?" I shook my head. "Twenty-seven, no boyfriend, and no plans to get married." She was momentarily stunned. "What are you talking about? How can a woman not get married?" she asked. I smiled without responding. Realizing I wasn't joking, her expression darkened. "Did you work as a escort and get caught? Is that why no man wants you?"

Thea had everything she ever wanted; her family, friends, loving fiancé, and beautiful son. Since she had lost her parents in an accident, she was the head of the house, raising her younger siblings until they could start their life. She's proud of her baby sister for coming out of her shell, finding the man she loves, and raising three children. As for her brother, she worries, but that doesn't hide the affection her best friend has towards him. Her brother is a bit dull on romance. Thea thought it would just be the three of them, but now there are more to surrounded by people she cares about and love. Thea loves having a big family. What can go wrong? Engaged and can't wait to marry the woman who brought joy and love into his life. Rex Wolfe decided to celebrate their engagement in Hawaii and show her where she grew up. Rex knew Thea had planned to celebrate on her grandfather's yacht. Everything had gone smoothed when a group of armed men infiltrated as the leader demanded the money his uncle owed them. Rex wasn't sure why because his uncle had been dead for years, and the man who killed him was none other than the man once his father and uncle called "Brother."

I married a guy thirty-two years older than I am. Reason? Money. We got divorced, I got all his money and became the city's richest person. Just when my luck was starting to turn, I was hit with devastating news. My ex died. Drowned, they said. The cops think I'm the killer.

I got pregnant at the same time as a doctor from another department. But right after my nuchal translucency scan, the charge nurse came to see me. "The hospital is short-staffed. Leadership says only one female employee can be pregnant at a time." "This time, the slot goes to Dr. Valerie Stone. You need to terminate yours." I froze. "Dr. Stone and I aren't even in the same department. Our work doesn't overlap. "And I'm a nurse. She's a doctor. Our schedules are completely different." But the charge nurse only tapped stubbornly on my desk. "This is hospital policy. No one gets to be the exception. "Either you terminate the pregnancy, or you transfer to logistics. Your choice." A transfer to logistics meant my career would be over. No promotions. No clinical path. Just a rock-bottom base salary, barely above minimum wage. My fingers slowly tightened. I had worked at that hospital for eight years. I was one of the hardest-working nurses on the front line, and I won performance awards every year. Yet I was not even allowed to be pregnant. I took a breath and looked calmly at the charge nurse. "I agree to transfer to logistics." Less than a week after I left, the whole department fell apart.

During our marking ceremony, the patrol leader of my arranged mate, Alpha Cassian Locke, asks me to swear in the name of the Moon Goddess before all the other werewolves. First, I shall not enter the Alpha's room without permission. Second, I shall not kiss the Alpha on any part of his body without permission. Third, I shall not do anything that may cause the Alpha to feel uneasy. The list goes on. Suppressing my anger, I listen as he recites all 188 vows in the oath. Then, I turn to the werewolf sitting on the side with an upright posture. "Alpha Cassian, could you please explain the 99th vow? What do you mean, I must raise your heir no matter whose pup they are?"

It was our wedding anniversary when my husband's high school sweetheart posted a sonogram picture on her social media, with her captioning a public thank-you to my husband: [Thank you to the man who's been there for me for ten years, and for giving me a son.] The room spun, and anger surged through me as I quickly commented: [So, you're proud of being a homewrecker?] Almost immediately, my husband called, his voice full of rage. "How can you think such disgusting things? All I did was help her with IVF, fulfilling her dream of becoming a single mom. "And by the way, Ruby only needed one try to get pregnant, while you’ve been through three rounds with nothing. Your body is useless!" Just three days ago, he told me he was going abroad for business—ignoring my calls and messages the entire time. I thought he was just busy. However, it turned out he was with her, attending her prenatal checkup. Half an hour later, Ruby posted again, showing off a table full of delicious food. [I got tired of French food, so Ash made me all my favorite dishes. He’s the best!] I stared at the pregnancy test in my hand, the joy I had felt earlier now completely gone. After eight years of love and six years of swallowing my pride just to keep the marriage alive, I’m finally ready to let go.

The notorious Alpha of the Black Wolf pack, Kellen Blackwood, is feared throughout the entire pack for his violent temper. Yet, everyone knows he adores his mate, Lilith Hayes. I am only an Omega, the lowest rank among werewolves, and I haven't awakened my wolf by the age of 18. Even though I became a laughingstock in the Black Wolf pack, Kellen still treats me as the love of his life. He always says I am as pure as moonlight, and he's willing to bow his head and surrender his pride for me. I believe him. Despite my family's objections, I become his mate. For five years, we have been together. He cherishes me like a priceless treasure. The Alpha Kellen, who shows no mercy outside, cooks meals for me and takes care of our home with his own hands. The fearsome leader, who never bows to anyone, gently lowers his head and shows deference to me. When my brother, Rex Hayes, breaks werewolf law, Kellen is the one who accompanies me to find someone who will testify for him. But on the day of the trial, the only person who can prove Rex's innocence, Ella Foster, is nowhere to be found. Rex is convicted of assault instead of being cleared for self-defense. The moment Rex is found guilty, Kellen is the first to stand and applaud in agreement. I lose control and run to confront Ella, demanding to know why she turned her back on us at the last moment. Ella clutches her stomach, tears rolling down her face, her voice trembling as she says, "Rex really is at fault. I can't just stand by and let my father be blamed for something he didn't do!" I stand there in shock, and then Kellen appears behind me. "Lilith, Ella is pregnant with my pup. I can't let anything happen to the pup she's carrying. Rex's punishment is exile to the Frozen Wastes. Compared to everything Ella has lost, that's already merciful."