All For Naught Novels & Stories

“This isn’t heaven. This isn’t hell. You’re in between — where the unremarkable, the wasted, and the undeserving come to prove themselves.” Its gaze swept over all of us like a spotlight, freezing me in place. “You begged for second chances,” it continued. “You cried about regrets. You wished for do-overs. So here we are! Your wish granted. All you have to do…” It paused, that grin never faltering. “…is win.”

* Zeina * The palace loomed like a monument to everything I had lost. Its obsidian spires scraped the bruised sky, draped in the ghost-light of a reluctant dawn. The wind carried the scent of scorched stone and frostbitten roses. I rode my black BMW through the charred gates alone, no banners raised, no trumpets sounding. The iron portcullis lifted without fanfare, the guards bowed low, but none dared speak. My silence had become its own command, a mantle heavier than any crown.

Now, she had nothing left to rely on. What could she possibly do now?

I took a deep breath, the air filled with the scent of coffee and freedom. "I was thinking that I used to believe love was everything in life." I squeezed Leo's hand, looking at the light glinting off my ring. "But the truth is, nothing waits for you forever. Especially a love that you strangled with your own hands." Luckily, when one door to darkness closes, life often opens a window to the light. "Let's go, Leo. We're going to be late." "Late for what?" "For embracing our future."

Not for anyone. Not for anything. Not even for a crown.

Except everything we've been through. Except everything we're becoming. Except everything we have. Except everything we deserve. Except everything we're going to be.

The crib was empty, and everything was gone. Even our wedding portrait had been taken down. The room held nothing of mine except the faint trace of my scent still lingering on the pillow. Every sign that I had ever existed in this house had been erased. I had been desperate enough to wipe away every last trace, to leave him with nothing to hold onto. Jasper slid down the side of the bed and crumpled onto the floor, clutching the pillow to his chest. His shoulders shook violently, and a single hot tear rolled down his face.

"For you." And then everything went dark.

I’m waiting, so please come home. She sends the song through next. It’s ‘Take On The World’ by You Me At Six. And with all the lyrics I know I’m not waiting a second to fight for her and with her. I can tell her. It’s not my fault but for the longest time I truly thought and believed it was. ‘Just say the word, we’ll take on the world’ ‘Look in my eyes, I will never desert you.’ ‘Nobody knows you the way that I know you.’

My nails scraped the wall, my heart pounding so loud I could barely hear anything else. And then everything went dark.