Once I Was Lost Novels & Stories

I whispered again, softer this time, reverent. Because I hadn’t just lost control. I’d lost myself to her.

He gripped the steering wheel tightly, using all his strength to hold back the overwhelming urge to rush up to her door. No one understood the feeling of losing and then regaining someone better than he did. He couldn't approach and refused to be forgotten. Just like that, he sat through the night, watching as the sky gradually turned pale. Only when he estimated she was waking up did he finally drive away. That morning, Eloise went to work as usual. One of her clients suddenly requested an in-person meeting. When she stepped into the conference room, it wasn't a client but Jonathan. The moment she saw him, she understood everything.

, but deep down, I was bidding him farewell. I grabbed my luggage and dragged this broken body onto a flight headed straight for the warzone. Sunlight streamed through the window and landed softly on me. I took one last look at the city I'd lived in for so many years. Goodbye to the most pathetic love I'd clung to in both lives. Goodbye, Cayden. From now on, I wouldn't be the pack's disgrace anymore. And I'd never love you again.

It'd always represented my last wall of defense. "Aster, no…" Aubrey tugged at my hand, likely understanding what I was about to do. She was scared things would get out of hand, scared that her perfect family would break apart. I patted her hand and said firmly, "Some losses are necessary to keep our lives in good order, Aubrey." I slowly looked up to meet the gazes of Tristan, Anastasia, and Ophelia. With a sneer, I called out to Tristan. "Are you really sure you don't know who we are, Tristan? Are you sure you want to risk the rest of your life for these two women?"

I was lost. And, for once, I didn’t want to be found.

"Want to what?" "Sit here. With you. And pretend the world isn't falling apart." So we sat. I don't know how long. Minutes. Hours. Time felt different out there. "Sing once more," he said eventually. "Please. Just one more." So I did. I sang the saddest song I knew. A song about loss. About finding light in darkness. About hope when everything seems broken. My voice filled the air. Soft at first. Then stronger. Then... A sound.

It was as if she had become someone else. Their marriage was not what he imagined, and the chances of him winning her back were slipping away with each passing moment. He felt like his entire world had been shattered, and, without thinking, he bent down to pick up the shards, his own sorrow hiding behind the gesture. His finger was cut by the glass, blood dripping from the wound…

They included terraced fields in Winwich, snow-capped mountains in Lhamo, a small fishing village by the sea, and the neon lights of the city. In every photograph, there was a ray of light hidden. That was the world I saw, one without Lydia. At the end of the exhibition hall was a wall, and on it was only a single line of text. "To the one I once loved, and to the self I have finally become." Lydia stood before that wall and suddenly laughed. She was laughing at herself for finally understanding that some things, once missed, could never come back. She turned to leave, only to see me standing not far away, looking at her.

I was no longer lost. I was Daddy’s. Forever.

I only want to regain my freedom before I die. Sensing my resolution, she frantically grabbed me. "No! You can't leave us. Even if you have to die, you must die by my side!" Suddenly, I felt the world spin around me as pain surged through my entire body. It was then that I realized I had forgotten to take my medication the night before. I hurriedly pulled out my bottle of pills from my pocket. Just as I unscrewed the cap, she started violently tugging me away. Caught by surprise, I lost my grip on the bottle. As it fell on the floor, so did I.