A Little Life Jude Novels & Stories

Chapter: Shadows and Sparks The morning was unusually quiet. Shelly’s aunt, Rita, had gone to a neighbor’s brunch, and her uncle, James, was off at his weekly golf game. The house felt calm, almost too calm, with the faint hum of the heater filling the spaces where conversation usually lived.

She didn't knew everything about her, but the thing she knew was that 'Life was never easy for Sia' and she could tell it by the vulnerability in Sia's eyes, that still held captive, the grief from years ago. Mrs De'souza decided against trying to convince her and pleaded, " Okay! Just drink the juice, Please!" Sia pushed her head slightly back from the door and opened her mouth to refuse, but then Mrs De'souza's sad face made her close her mouth and grab the glass, without protesting. Sia gulped down the juice in one go and placed the glass back in the tray, making Mrs De'souza sigh in relief. Sia stared at her with her bloodshot eyes and Mrs De'souza looked away.

Brooklyn asked. Turning away from Kendall, he said, “It’s a short piece about a man looking back on his life as he is dying.” “Wow, that sounds interesting,” Addy said. “I think it sounds a bit depressing,” Shea said, frowning. Brooklyn nudged her and said, “I think that sounds fascinating. I can’t wait to see it.” “I’ll have to let you know when the festival is and get you some tickets if you’d like to see it,” he offered.

It was as if I was showing the living that death was not the end of life, but rather, the beginning of a new journey. My thoughts returned to the day of the accident. The surgery was successful, bringing an end to my tragic life.

*** GIANNA *** Back to reality. As soon as the plane landed, I felt the change. All day, I've been avoiding thinking about this, about going back to my real life, but I guess there was no escaping it now. Although I sat in the car with the Russo family, I already felt the loss. The weekend is one I'll store away in my mind for those rainy days to come because I'm sure I'll never have another like it.

I asked cautiously, "So, Lucaro isn't dead, right? He's alive? And he woke up?" With a light snort, Nico explained, "Mr. Ricci found a renowned doctor. That's who helped him recover. After he woke up, he asked about you. I told him everything you've done these years. He's given up on you. He won't interfere with you becoming the next Donna Altieri." Nico spoke lightly, but each word felt like a blade cutting into my heart over and over again. Still, amid the pain, I was grateful that Lucaro wasn't dead.

His sister. The one person he would never look at with the aching hunger I felt for him. "Doubt what?", the voice came and only then did I realize I had spoken to loud. “Uhm...never mind, what about the Luna?” I said, forcing the question out of the mind, the title tasting like ash on my tongue. My title. My name. My life. The title was meant to be mine. Jude shrugged, his focus on the dark road. “Oh, she traveled out of town.”

"Wendy, don't stop me! Ricky's gone, and I don't want to live either! Tell me where he is. I'm going with him!" In my past life, I'd drowned in guilt, utterly convinced I'd personally killed my own son. I hadn't even seen Ricky's body before they buried him in a rush. Wendy flew into a panic. She had just spirited Ricky away. There was no way she could show me the corpse. All she could do was shriek, praying the noise would bring someone running in. True to her hopes, the door slammed open. My gaze locked onto a pair of bloodshot eyes.

"I'll only ever have one Luna in this lifetime. And it will always be Zoe." "But…" She tried to speak again, but the look in his eyes froze her where she stood. Whispers broke out among the guests. "Doesn't she have any shame? Luna just died, and she's already pushing the Alpha to bond?" "Seriously. She's nothing compared to Ms. Johnston." "Who does she think she is, trying to take the Luna's place?" The murmurs continued. Ruby's face turned pale, then flushed red as the whispers grew louder. Under the weight of everyone's judgment, she turned and fled the funeral in disgrace.

That night, a black Audi rolled to a stop below our apartment, and Andrea's husband, Kirk Herrera, who'd always been the materialistic type, kicked her out and left her at the door with a dark, displeased look on his face. "Her treatment is a bottomless pit. I can't live like this anymore. I'm divorcing her." Then, Kirk floored the gas and left, just like that, while Andrea leaned against the walls in the hallway and cried her heart out. Mom felt incredibly sorry for her and hurriedly helped her into the apartment, calling Leroy immediately. Leroy Sutton was a shady labor broker. He specialized in sending the most desperate people to the most dangerous factories in the country. Early the nex