Bent Not Broken Novels & Stories

"The doctor said she just needs to rest." "Good to hear." He watched me packing and frowned. "You're not really leaving over a necklace, are you?" A necklace? I stopped and looked at him. "In your eyes, that was just a necklace?" "That's not what I meant…" He looked flustered. "I know it was important, but it's broken. We can find the best craftsman to fix it. There must be some magic that can repair it perfectly…" "Repair it?" I laughed, a cold, empty sound. "Austen, some things, once they're broken, stay broken."

They would expect bending. I would not bend. Not because I was unbreakable. But because something in Ravenwood had already begun to straighten. And once that happens, no amount of pressure can force it back into shape.

"Everything. I'm not going to make you do anything dangerous or illegal. But I am going to push you. Make you uncomfortable. Challenge you. And you have to trust me enough to do it." I study his face. Looking for any sign that this is a joke. That he's playing me like Julian did. But his grey eyes are serious. Focused. "Why are you doing this?" I ask. "Really. What do you get out of helping me?" "Maybe I like fixing broken things." "I'm not broken." "No," he agrees. "You're bent. There's a difference. Broken can't be fixed. Bent just needs the right pressure in the right places."

Tears streamed down her face, but her voice was steel. “Why are you the one who broke me?” she demanded. “Why are you the same man trying to restore me?” Her hand clenched around the bracelet before she dropped it. It hit the floor with a soft clink. “I have not forgiven that man,” she said quietly. “Not after everything he put me through. And now you expect me to—what? Pretend love fixes this?” She shook her head violently. “No.” James tried to speak again, but she turned away.

Something broken, fragile. Something I had ruined.

“I didn’t know it was possible to love this much. It makes everything feel louder, brighter, and scarier too.” She wraps her arms around me and holds on tight. “That’s what love does. It opens you up. Makes you brave and vulnerable all at once. But I’d rather you feel all of this than walk through life numb.” “I used to think I was broken,” I whisper. “Before I met them. Before I understood what I was. I always felt I was different, that I didn’t really fit. But now… now I feel more whole than I ever have.” Mum presses a kiss to my head. “You were never broken. You just hadn’t found the ones who could see all your pieces and love you harder because of them.”

Before I could consider the matter further, Nelly yanked the necklace off my neck and tried to grab my bracelet. “Don’t touch the bracelet!” I shouted in panic. “I can let you have everything else, but this bracelet is off-limits.” Nelly instructed her two friends to hold my hands down while she pried the bracelet from my wrist. “Give it back! Return my bracelet!” I pleaded desperately. “Look Nelly, if you return the bracelet, I won’t pursue any damages for the car you smashed or the other antiques you broke. “Please, just give me my bracelet back.”

Just us. As laughter and music swelled around them, the camera of memory captured the moment of four hearts, once fractured, now mended. Not perfect. But whole. Because sometimes, the night didn't end in darkness. Sometimes, it ended in light. And that was enough.

In the end, I told myself it was wrong to be petty toward a grieving widow, so I was the one who gave in and apologized. Later, when Ryan wanted to put his ring back on, he couldn't find it anywhere. Luckily, I still had the original design sketches. Since my own ring was getting worn out, I decided to order a brand-new set, identical to the first. But before the rings even arrived, our bond had already shattered. I instinctively rubbed the faint pale mark where my ring used to sit. My old band was still sitting on that table back at the Pack House. "I don't want them. Even if they're brand new and identical, our bond is fractured. There's no going back."

I said finally. “Do what?” “Be strong. Be free. Be… me. What if I try, and I still fail? What if I’m just broken?” Kael was silent for a long time. Then he said, “You’re not broken, Aria. You’re bent. There’s a difference. Broken things can’t be fixed. Bent things can be straightened. And I’m gonna straighten you, whether you like it or not.” I looked up at him, surprised by the fierceness in his voice.