At Last A Life Novels & Stories

Alive. “One…”

Bonus Chapter I, Chester, for the first 15 years of my life, hated Emma with a passion. For the many years that followed, I spent every moment trying to make up for that hatred. On the day Dad took Calvin and I to say sorry to her, she did not even look our way before she was about to shut the door. Out of nowhere, I blurted, "Mom." That single word made me live with regret for the rest of my days. It was the first time I had ever called her that, and it was also the last.

This is my life now and I'm loving every single moment of it. THE END.

I smiled sincerely and turned away from the prison. After seeing Vivian for the last time, I would never need to see her again in this life. She would disappear from my world forever. And my world would finally see the warmth of spring.

At that point, even Northbridge University couldn't protect Leighton anymore. Facing overwhelming public pressure, Northbridge University expelled both Leighton and Harley. They didn't even bother trying to suppress the online discussions, so the topic remained on the trending charts for days. A week later, Leighton reached out to me again through her lawyer. This time, she had finally agreed to the divorce. She only had one condition—she wanted to see me one last time. She chose that familiar cafe as the meeting place, and even the same table where I'd met Harley before.

"Go now. In your next life, you will be born into a loving, ordinary family, with loving parents, a healthy body, and a peaceful and happy life." I turned back, taking one last look at the world full of scars and entanglements. The small sunflower windmill in front of my tombstone spun tirelessly in the wind. In the distance, Timothy's foundation allocated its first grant to help a female awake her wolf. My spirit lived on forever in another form now. I smiled with relief, turned around, and plunged into that warm light without looking back. Goodbye, Timothy Russell. Goodbye to the six years I spent loving you.

"Kayla, it's finally over." Maddie linked her arm through mine and exhaled. "Yeah. It is." I looked toward the glowing horizon and smiled. The darkness from my last life was finally gone. And my real life was just beginning.

We went to my parents' for dinner that night. Only then did I realize it was our birthday. Dante had ordered the cake. "Two birthdays, one cake. Efficient." It was beautiful. Layers of cream and fruit. Mango. Grace's favorite. I was allergic to mangoes. Nobody noticed. Dante lit the candles and put the crown on Grace's head. "Grace. Make a wish." I stared at the cake. The crown. His patient smile. "Dante." He glanced at me. "Every gift you ever gave us came in two. Except the cake. Why am I always last?"

Life is so confusing. ***