And After All This Time Novels & Stories

] Seconds and minutes passed. The food on the table slowly lost its warmth. I lifted the glass of water beside me and looked at the faint transparent outline flickering once again around my fingertips. Then I waited in silence for the final farewell to this relationship.

Garett made his way back to the house and knew that everything was going to change rather shortly for the both of them. It had already in so many ways that he was still reeling from everything the two had already been through in the past day and a half. Though he wouldn’t change any of it.

By the time I drove back to the Harrison Estate, it was nearly eight o'clock. The house was empty and cold. I didn't turn on the lights. I just moved through the darkness to the living room and sat on the sofa, still wearing my coat. The city lights filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting everything in shades of gray. My phone lit up at 8:47 PM. A message from Adrian. I didn't want to look at it, I didn't want to know what the message was about because I was so angry at him. How could he do such a thing to me? Why would he hide such a big secret from me?

Zia Stephanie's POV I felt like time begun to lose its meaning. The passage of time felt like it was heavenly distorted where space time worked into different scale on the other dimension. What should only be a few minutes seemed like I had endured dew hours and what might feel like small width of time could be extensive.

"Eve, have you gotten over Josh yet?" Everly fell silent. It was not easy letting go of a relationship of many years. "I need time. Time heals everything. Even the vows you made when you were madly in love could be washed away by time until there's nothing left, right? No love lasts in this world." "But I have no time anymore," Olivia muttered. "Don't give up on your treatment."

Can't we just cool off? [Selena, when will you let me back into your life? Take your time to chill, but come back to me. Let's give it another shot.] He had even wired 75,000 dollars to my account and attached a note. [Use it to unwind. I'll be here waiting.] I forced a smile. Henry still had no clue I was done for good, and there was no coming back to him. I was about to hit the emergency call when my grip went weak, my phone clattered to the floor.

In the years that followed, I poured all my love and care into little Olivia. Watching Olivia's parents slowly heal day by day, a weight lifted from me. I felt I had, perhaps, atoned for my past errors. Years later, Lily died in the psychiatric hospital, and one quiet evening, old and frail, I took my final walk and left this world. Finally, I was able to reunite with Olivia and deliver the apology I had carried in my heart for so long.

“I am doing fine… don’t worry…” What will happen now… I am not sure. Will it turn good or not? I am not even sure. Actually, for the future, there is nothing you can be sure of. All I know is that… I want to have my future with Drake no matter what. “And also…” He pulled me to give me a hug. “Everything will be fine…” I smile at him and nod. Holding his hand tight, I mouthed. “Yeah, it will be…” … Letting out a deep sigh, I look at the people in front of me. It has been weeks after the incident And I already received a reply from the government.

Only time heals–it’s a bitter truth. I don’t know when I’ll see him again. A month. A year. Maybe longer. But I’ll be here. Waiting. The End.

because that’s where we are now, after the survival, after the healing, after the fear, living in the part of the story where the good things happen and keep happening and you stop waiting for them to end. James came and sat beside me and looked at what I’d written and said “After after sounds like forever,” and I leaned my head on his shoulder and said “Then let’s call it forever, let’s live in forever,” and he kissed my hair and said “We already are, Aria, we’ve been living in forever since the day you chose me.”