Five Years After A John Matherson Novel Novels & Stories

Five years of marriage. Then I saw his post. “Happy fifth anniversary to my beautiful wife. Five years with you still feels like the beginning.”I smiled without even realizing it. Today is going to be a good day,I told myself. Damian and I had been married for five years. Five years of loving him, adjusting to him, building a life around him. He had been away on a business trip for months now, and I had been counting down the days to this one. He promised he would be available just this day and I believed him.

I explained to them. (She’s right Lena! Aza is safe there, it’s surprising how she ended up at the Five Knights’ house, but Aza, be careful okay. As long as Wilton’s looking for you, stay there for now.) “Thank you CC.” CC is so understanding. (Wait, wait! If you’re staying at the Five Knights’ house, are they really handsome? What are they like? Are they trustworthy, Aza, tell me!) “Lena, calm down, they’re fine, the fi--hello? Lena, Mia, CC, hello?” I furrowed my eyebrows and put down my cell phone and looked at it when I saw it was dead.

The expression on Don's face was the expression of someone recognizing something he had known but had not yet heard spoken. Ernest said: "You said we are the fifth book. But the five books are: The Inside Account, The Ground Keeps, The Emergent World, The Ordinary Morning, and the journals. The journals are the fifth book. The unwritten book that the four written books approached. The journals are the inside account at its most inside — the building happening in the writing, not the writing about the building." Don was quiet for a long time. The fire settled. A piece of coal shifted, sending a small spray of sparks up the chimney. The February light had shifted again — the cloud had passed,

"You still haven't answered me. Has Naomi come out of hiding? Where is she? She's evaded us for five years, but not this time. This time, I'll make sure she doesn't escape." A grim smile inexplicably played on Sebastian's lips as he said, "That better be her body! She has been on the run for five years! Even in death, she doesn't deserve pity! In fact, it simply is a disgrace to have a murderer like her as the daughter of the Clarke family!" Rebecca, who had been trembling moments before, exhaled quietly, relief washing over her at Sebastian's harsh declaration. But I saw what no one else noticed. His hands trembled faintly, betraying the storm raging within him.

The velvet swung shut behind her with a soft whisper, leaving the room painfully empty. I stood there surrounded by bloodstains and shattered bottles, chest rising and falling hard. My hands curled into fists at my sides. I had waited five years to destroy her, five years to make her feel the same emptiness she left me with. Yet the look on her face when she read that message unsettled me more than her sharp words ever could. Why the fuck did seeing her that devastated twist something deep in my own chest? I dragged a hand through my hair and cursed under my breath. She had run again. But this time I wouldn’t let her get far.

"Fine, fine. I'll drop the mystery big shot for now. But speaking of big shots... anything from Vance & Co. yet?" ​Liana let out a heavy sigh, lifting her head to look at her best friend. "Nina, please. It's been two full weeks. Radio silence. That ship has sailed." ​"Did you check today?" ​"No, because it's just going to be the same empty inbox," Liana said dryly. ​"Just check it one last time," Nina coaxed softly, giving her arm a gentle nudge. "Just so you can officially close that door and move on."

Then, suddenly, an idea sparked—hire a private investigator. I grabbed my phone in haste, searching for contacts, but by accident opened the Notes app instead. What I saw there made my blood run cold. Pages and pages, crammed with entries. I had always kept notes before, recording Alicia's preferences and our anniversaries. But now—now every entry belonged to the twenty-eight-year-old me. Each line bled with helplessness and despair. I scrolled through them all, reading every word. And at last… the truth of what happened that year revealed itself.

I prayed day and night that Melissa would never suffer what I did, and I felt so filthy that I didn't even deserve a place to be in her memory anymore. How absurd to think of this now. When I was drowning in that pond and barely conscious... I looked toward Melissa. Was I hoping for something? I didn't know. I only knew she was the woman I once loved… But she didn't look at me. She was kissing Connor like nobody was around. Of course. If Melissa had ever felt anything for me, would I be in this situation after five long years? "How dare that creature defile you with those eyes of his?" Connor noticed my stare and scowled with disgust.

"An underground clinic that was later shut down for illegal human testing. The case involved werewolf-specific compounds." Adrian's grip on the phone loosened. For a moment, I thought he might finally understand everything. But truth does not erase five years of hatred in a single moment. It collides with pride, memory, and every lie a person has used to keep going. Adrian shook his head. "Coincidence." No one answered him. He looked around the room as if daring someone to agree. "It could be a coincidence." Ethan's jaw tightened. "Then keep digging."

Aisha's POV The Paris sky that evening was a golden orange, reflecting the shadows of streetlights on the bustling city sidewalk. I sat on the balcony of my apartment, watching the hustle and bustle below while sipping on warm tea. Five years had passed since I left my old life. Five years since I chose to disappear. Along the way, I had found a new self, but the shadows of the past still clouded my mind. I was no longer the weak woman who felt unworthy of love. Now, I was a respected heart surgeon.