Life From Scratch Book Novels & Stories

There was my boy, just left on the bed, nothing on him but a scratchy washcloth. I did not think twice. I switched the babies back without missing a beat. As I held the tiny bundle and the baby snuggled tight against me, tears came unbidden. He seemed to connect with me right away, nestling into the warmth of my chest. Yes. Even on our first meeting, I knew in my gut that he was my flesh and blood! In my previous life, Derick had his fling with his so-called 'sister' Jasmine before he ever knew me.

Under the streetlight, I caught a glimpse of his eyes—red and tired. I smiled. "No stress. I eat well, sleep well. Of course I've filled out a bit." I used to be barely hanging on—5'7", barely 99 pounds. Back then, I was stuck taking care of him, stewing over how obvious his thing for someone else was. Lost my appetite day after day. Slipped into a mild eating disorder without even realizing. It wasn't until I came to Inglane that I started healing. Started looking—and feeling—like myself again.

“Is it today? Are we finally going to see your book?” I crouched down to her level, my heart warming at her excitement. “Yes, today’s the day. The very first copy will be ready, and we get to hold it in our hands.” Luca grinned as he carried a stack of plates to the table. “You’ve been working on this forever. It’s going to be amazing, Dad.” I ruffled his hair, overcome with gratitude for this family we had built, this life we had fought for. “I hope so,” I said softly. “It’s a story about us, in a way. About home, love, and finding your place.”

Zoe stared at the book, her fingers hovering over its worn cover, tracing the cracks in the leather and the faint symbols etched into its spine. It felt… alive. Not in a way she could explain, but there was something ancient about it—something that pulsed beneath the surface, waiting to be uncovered. The Book of Life, her heart raced, every answer she had been searching for… could be inside.

She could build something here and not apologize for wanting it. The thought hit her harder than she expected. This was not just food. This was a new beginning. A dream life she had not been allowed to have before. The garbage planet had taken the tiny pieces of survival she carried from a dead Earth and given back baskets full of future. It had given her proof that something buried, broken, and dismissed could still grow if someone stubborn enough put their hands in the dirt and refused to leave. Vera smiled down at the soil, pressed one hand over her belly, and kept planting.

“I–” “Oh, or am I even qualified to talk about forgiveness?” I cut in. “After you came back from studying abroad, you were never short on women. Compared to them, an ex like me isn’t worth mentioning. In your eyes, I probably don’t even count as a person; I’m just a backup you can keep around for life.” Finn denied it over and over again. “No. That’s not what I think. I just didn’t realize… that I still love you.”

If only I had known that Jane would come to him, I should have come to him first, for I have first known him, he belonged to me. ‘Believe, the simple little things of today might be the bigger things tomorrow. ’ she said and pulled a book from the bookshelf; Ikigai - The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, and handed the book to me. ‘Open it to whatever page,’ I then opened the book, page 66, the first thing I read was, Live an Unhurried Life. ‘What do you see?’ she asked. ‘It says, Live an Unhurried Life.’

I closed my eyes, trembling as tears escaped and fell into the food. "Happy birthday, Eleanor Shaw," I whispered to myself. "Keep moving forward—onward forever. Even if no one loves you, there's still light at the end of the tunnel. As Jeffrey said, you have enjoyed over 20 wonderful years of wealth and privilege. You've had it good." Just like that, I repeated words of comfort to myself as I wiped away my tears. I moved all my belongings that I had sorted out over the past two weeks in the living room.

She hardly had a single cent to her name after the divorce and ended up miserable. In this life, it was going to be different. She was young and could start over…

"But I'm learning to let it go. To trust people again. To live without fear." "Good. Because fear is boring. Living is more fun." Out of the mouths of twelve-year-olds, Lucy thought. That night, Lucy finished the final chapter of her fourth book. This one wasn't about trauma or survival. It was about healing, about building a life after tragedy, about choosing hope over fear. She titled it "Full Circle: From Survival to Thriving." William read the last chapter over her shoulder. "It's good. Really good. You're going to help a lot of people with this."