Chapter 4 Things Fall Apart Novels & Stories

On the first night of our graduation trip, Richard Clark, the class representative, suggests that we find our match via room numbers. "Let your luck decide your fate! You'll get to stay in the same room with your partner regardless of gender! How exciting is this?" Throughout my four-year college life, I've been in an underground relationship with Faye Lister for three years. No one knows about our relationship at all. I dig out a ball from the box and wait for my turn to get matched. When it's Faye's turn, she claims that her number is seven. That's when Richard raises his voice. "The other person who gets Room 7 is… Xavier Jensen!" Xavier, the guy whom Faye had once pursued in a grand fashion, shoots her a smile immediately. Everyone cheers on them, claiming that even God wants them to be together. I'm the only one who doesn't say anything. No one knows that I've heard Richard and Faye having a secretive conversation before the start of the game. "Find the ball with a circular bump. That's the mark I've specifically left for you and Xavier." As I watch Faye approach Xavier and arrange his collar with scarlet cheeks, I find myself smiling as well. It turns out that I've wasted three years waiting for Faye to announce our relationship. This time, I decide to be the one leaving this relationship.

Everyone thought Stellar Rivers was a fraud—a fake heiress thrown out by the powerful Harlow family. They believed her real parents were supposedly poor nobodies from the countryside. With nowhere else to go, she clung to Percy Moore, the youngest heir of the illustrious Moore family. Try as they might, no one could drive her away. But when Stellar overheard that Percy planned to marry the Harlow family’s true heiress, her lifelong rival, everything changed. Fine, he could have his perfect match. Stellar wasn’t going to waste another moment on someone who didn’t value her. Instead, she turned her back on him and reclaimed the life that had always been hers. A country bumpkin? Hardly. It turned out Stellar’s real family was wealthier and more powerful than anyone could imagine. With four influential uncles showering her with love and protection, she was ready to take the world by storm. And while she believed in playing fair, she also knew one thing: revenge was best served by her own hand. Meanwhile, Percy’s perfect world began to unravel. Without Stellar, his life was a mess—his business floundered, his fiancée’s reputation crumbled, and his carefully constructed future came crashing down. Desperate and full of regret, he showed up at Stellar’s doorstep, begging her to come back. But Stellar only smirked, casually leaning onto the tall, devastatingly handsome man at her side. “Sorry, Percy. I don’t take back what I’ve already let go.” As if that wasn’t enough, Stellar even dismissed the powerful man standing beside her, leaving him in the dust. “I said it before, and I’ll say it again—I don’t go back to what’s already behind me.” Even Stephen Ward, who broken off their engagement before they ever met, found himself on his knees, pleading, “Honey, I was wrong. Please, give me another chance!”

Right before New Year’s, the sports car I had waited six months for was finally delivered. However, my wife Vanessa snatched the keys from my hand. “Ryan likes sports cars. Let him take yours for a quick spin.” I refused. I knew her godbrother, Ryan, did not even have a driver’s license. Still, she secretly gave him the keys anyway. When I saw my car again, the car hood was covered in blood. Vanessa was holding Ryan. Her face was full of distress, and her words left me stunned. “Honey, please take the blame for Ryan. No one will make things hard for you with your background.” I immediately refused, but Vanessa then pulled out her phone. “I already turned you in. Just go along with it. You’ll be fine.” I could not believe my eyes when I saw the police call history.

Olivia Langston, a brilliant and ambitious doctor, has always focused on her career, vowing never to let love or relationships distract her. However, everything changes when she crosses paths with James Pierce, a charismatic and successful billionaire with a reputation for being a powerful, yet lonely man. Despite their vastly different worlds, Olivia and James share an undeniable chemistry that neither can ignore. As their connection deepens, Olivia finds herself drawn into the complexities of James's life, from his troubled relationship with his father to the manipulative tactics of his ex-fiancée, Claire. Despite their differences, Olivia and James grow closer, learning to navigate the pressures of their respective careers, the public eye, and the expectations placed on them by their families. However, their relationship faces numerous challenges. James’s business is threatened by a rival company, and his past continues to haunt him in the form of both old flames and family drama. Meanwhile, Olivia struggles to balance her medical career with her newfound role in James’s high-profile world, dealing with the intense scrutiny of the media and the emotional toll it takes on her. Through every twist and turn, Olivia and James’s love is tested, but they both realize that their bond is stronger than any obstacle. As they grow together, they face the difficult decisions that come with building a future, including James’s decision to propose, Olivia’s health scare, and their ultimate decision to start a family together.

Marcus Thorne wears several masks in his life—playing retired pirate, Captain Hawk, is his favorite, but if his secret is discovered, he could die. Captivated by his enemy’s daughter, Marcus kidnaps her, but in return, she captures his heart…until he discovers Isabelle is one of Napoleon’s spies with the power to endanger his life and the lives of his friends. After her release, Isabelle can’t stop thinking about her masked abductor and how he’d stolen her heart before ridding her of his presence. Betrothed to a man who strangely reminds her of the man whose kisses set her ablaze, she marries him, only to discover he’s not who he seemed to be as he is withholding secrets. But then…so is she.

"I'll make you mine before he does." *** Drake and Paul are two handsome, strong and intellectual playboys who are the eye candies and rays of attention. Rich, hot and successful, they could get any girl they wanted but it all comes crashing when one woman threatens to break the bond between the boys. Loving one woman seems to be a curse in the Hamilton bloodline and this time, the romance is sizzling hot with two raging men after one girl. Can she take one or two?

She battled them inside the earth's core. Now it's time to deal with those on the surface! After traveling to the center of the earth and dealing with prehistoric beasts, deceitful amazons and even more zombies and aliens to rescue her son, Kendra and her family return to the surface of the planet to deal with the aliens once and for all. Zombies and Aliens is the final installment of the exciting romance-thriller series, Kendra's Journey.

Chastity Van Dyke has found her role in life. She’s going to become a nun. Despite the shock and disgust from her family, Chastity is forging ahead with her plan. Nothing is going to stop her – will it? Because of inconvenient circumstances, Julian Beaumont has to enlist the woman he hates the most to help him schmooze Italian businessmen. Of course, Chastity demands compensation – not for herself but for a small convent in Boston. After agreeing to make a sizable donation to the convent, Chastity helps him. Then it happened. His heart betrayed his better sense. Now, Julian has feelings for the Devil’s spawn. When he tries to express them, Chastity runs away. He knows she has a secret. And whatever that secret is it’s keeping them apart. Once he discovers it, it doesn’t deter him for long. Julian won’t rest until Chastity is his despite what his little harpy has planned for her life. “You’re not tired. You’re leaving because you’re uncomfortable with having a good time with me.” “What? I am not.” “You are to.” Julian let go of her arm. “I never figured you for a coward.” “I am not a coward.” “Then why do you keep running from me?” he asked seriously. “I’m not running from anything. I’m tired.” “Right. Chastity, I’ve decided not to stop.” She didn’t like the determined look in his eyes. “Not to stop what?” “Pursuing you. By the time I get finished with you, you’re not going to be a nun no more than I am.” Ire flared and before she knew it, she whacked Julian on the cheek as hard as she could. Chastity stormed off in a hurry.

Henry Bishop is an Alpha who has yet to meet his mate. He hoped his mate would be Kennedy, the oldest daughter of his ally. However, she is mated to his brother. Then, he thought he might be mated to her sister, Wendy. However, in the last year, she has slowly moved away from him, preferring to spend time with the students at the Warrior Academy her brother attends. After years of waiting to find his fated mate, Henry has given up and decided to take a chosen mate. As a thirty-three-year-old man and Alpha, it’s time for him to settle down and start a family. After spending months in his mother’s previous pack, he’s decided on his chosen mate, Justine. She’s young enough to give him pups but mature enough to be the Luna that his pack needs. Piper Conley is a student at the Warrior Academy. As an Alpha female who hadn’t met her mate, she decided to apply to the Academy so she could make her own way in the world. Piper has a fiery personality, no filter on her mouth, and she’s passionate about the people in her life she cares about, including her current romantic partner, Zach. When Henry comes to the Academy to sign an alliance agreement with Yorick and his new mate, he unexpectedly comes across his fated mate, Piper. What will happen now that Henry has found his fated mate after agreeing to take a chosen mate? Can Henry accept that Piper is a very different kind of mate than he was expecting? Is Piper willing to give up her dreams of becoming an elite warrior to become Henry’s Luna? Will Henry choose Piper over Justine? Find out in Book Four of the Pack Series.

For eight long years, Bryan Millan and I were married, but you’d never have known it by looking at his life. He never once acknowledged our relationship in public. Not a single post, not a single mention of me on his social media. Then came our anniversary. The day that was supposed to be about us. Instead, Bryan made an announcement on his Instagram account—just not the one I expected. There he was, hand in hand with his assistant, her draped in a wedding dress. The caption read: [When you're in love, you want the whole world to know.] The comments flooded in. [Bryan finally got married!] [Congrats! Wishing you a lifetime of happiness together!] In that moment, I could no longer lie to myself. Bryan wasn't reserved. He just never loved me. So, I decided to let go. But he wasn't ready for that. He clung to me, desperate now. But I pried his hands off and laughed—a real, genuine laugh, the kind that comes from somewhere deep inside when you realize you're finally free. Then, I looked him straight in the eye and said the words I'd been holding in, "Don't beg me to come back. Because now that I don't love you, I've never felt better."