Empty Smiles Novels & Stories

Her face— Blank. Not cold. Not angry. Not sad. Just… empty. Ethan frowned slightly. People liked to say she had no emotions. That she was heartless. But that wasn’t what he saw. Because empty wasn’t the same as nothing. Empty meant something had been there before. Something that wasn’t anymore. And that— That was worse. --- Belle POV She shouldn’t have come. That thought didn’t hit her like panic. Didn’t rush through her like fear. It settled.

A wave of emptiness hit her like a physical force, almost blinding her. Evan's room was completely bare—everything gone.

Gardens blooming between shining streets. It looked alive. Yet there was no movement. No people. No birds. No sound. Ama hurried down the hill. The city gates stood open. No guards. No banners. No markings. She entered carefully. Every building was flawless. Every window gleamed. Every fountain flowed with crystal water. But every home was empty. Every chair. Every table. Every bed. Untouched. As though someone had built an entire civilization... And forgotten to live in it. Ama wandered through the silent streets.

This is just insane. **********

They started bickering and exchanging slick comments. I got my books out of my locker and slammed it so loud, it made them shut their mouths and turn to me. I showed them my brightest fake smile, "As much as I'd love to be in the middle of whatever this is, I've got to get going." I started walking away, "Thanks for the invite though Emma." "You're welcome, and it's Eva." she yelled after me. **

The solid floor beneath me felt as if it instantly collapsed and melted, transforming into bottomless, icy, and bone-chilling quicksand. I am being silently and irresistibly swallowed and sunk by this quicksand, falling straight down into an abyss with no light, no echo, and only boundless cold. My world completely plunged into darkness. “Bleiz!” “Quick, call a healer!” ... Overnight, my family produced another new joke. Yesterday, I left my mate behind at the mate bond ceremony, and today I’m desperately trying to get rid of my mate. My room is already a complete mess. I’ve smashed everything that could be smashed to pieces.

I stared at the screen for a good while. A year ago, everyone in this chat was calling me an ungrateful wretch. Now, their tone had completely changed. It was a subtle, seamless transition. It was as if they had never badmouthed me at all, as if this was how things had always been. I didn't say a word in the group chat. After a while, Uncle Oliver mentioned me. "@Lucius are you there? Is your company still hiring? Your cousin just graduated from college and hasn't found a job yet."

I had paid him well in advance to make sure the video played all the way through. One by one, the photos appeared on screen. Every single one showed Jasper and Fiona living it up abroad. Then, the final few slides hit. They were hospital consent forms for emergency surgery and an amniotic fluid embolism report, and on every document, the signature line for next of kin was blank. The last image was a photo of me, drenched in blood, lying on a stretcher as I was rushed into emergency surgery. The montage ended with a written statement that was over a thousand words long. It was my full account of every trip, every hotel booking, every time Jasper had snuck off with Fiona behind my back over th

It felt refreshing, brand new. "No more apologies." I smiled back. “No more apologies.”