Ruined Book Novels & Stories

"Once that is gone, the house falls down. You are trying to live in a house that has already collapsed." I looked around the room. I saw a small book on the side table. It was a book of poems. I realized it was the same book Liam used to read to me when we were dating. He must have brought it for her. The realization hit me like a physical blow to the chest. He was sharing our memories with her. He was giving her the parts of him that used to belong only to me. "He loves the way you are honest," I said, my voice cracking. "He told me that."

His obsession deepened. I walked the line between ruin and surrender. How long before the secrets met? How long before the man I meant to destroy realized the ghost in his bed would be the one to bring his empire down? The game had never been more dangerous or more consuming.

She hurriedly collected the materials and turned to leave when suddenly she heard a thudding sound from somewhere. She turned around and squinted. A book had fallen from the shelf. She walked warily, going further inside the abandoned part of the library. It was dimly lit, and no one seemed to be present. She hurriedly went and picked up the book. It looked old; the binding was different; it was bound red-leather and had a golden border.

“As long as you remember why you came back.” I reached for the new bundle and unwrapped it, my excitement returning. The familiar scent of old parchment filled the air as I flipped through the worn pages. But my smile disappeared when I spotted something strange. “Ingrid…” I murmured, holding one of the books up. “This one’s also damaged again.” She leaned over, and her brows furrowed. “What?” Pages were missing yet again!. Not torn from the spine like yesterday's own, but sliced out cleanly. Precise. Intentional.

It’s too risky. My head lights up with an idea. The library. That’s where I can get answers. Maybe even a replica of the book Miles found for me could be there. I take the stairs two at a time, running down the long wing of the academy where the library should be. But when I reach it, I stop dead. The library was destroyed. Books lie torn across the floor, burnt pages, broken shelves and nails scattered everywhere. “What the hell happened here?” I whisper, stepping carefully around the debris, so I don’t get hurt. Why wouldn’t they repair this place?

The pages were all crinkled and some had a tear on them since the book is old and the paper is fragile. Alesteria handled the book with care because she just borrowed it and even though she was careful with it, her brothers destroyed it in the end. 'That book is considered as one of the national treasures of the empire and now it is ruined…' In other words, she is beyond upset with them. "Aw hwate bwothews." (I hate brothers.) Alesteria muttered that under her breath and even though there is a literal tornado in the room, both Aimilios and Aldrich suddenly gained super hearing; both ceased their fight as they froze on their spot.

Even the bambolina called First Lady created some silly charity called 'REBUILD DARK WOODS'. One fact that remained though, was that Dark Woods wasn’t destroyed. It was not. And for that, I was glad. But what made me weak in the knees was the idea of what the whole incident may do to Vernero. That castle was more than strong pillars of hard iron rods covered in cement; it was more than his home. It was his haven. And for it to be ambushed, I was afraid it was going to cut all the little restraints left in him. That’s what I feared the most. It was terrifying.

I was just a young girl who didn't know better… I'm sorry, Jamie. I'm so sorry. I'm not Jamie. His grip tightened on the bottle of whiskey, clenching his hands as they shook. Let's end it here, Anna De la Vegas… you're dead to me. A gut-wrenching groan tore from his throat as he hauled the bottle at the glass. It hit with a heavy thud and dropped to the floor, rolling. His eyes followed it; it was cracked… just like everything else.

And this hole was at the size of a coin, enough for the mist to pass through. After passing it through, the mist arrived in a dilapidated room. More than half of the room was occupied by deteriorating bookshelves which were also filled with millions of books. It was unknown for how long this was left untouched for it to be covered with thick dust; wherein, the book covers were no longer visible. Faint lines of spider webs between the book's edge and the shelves roof can be seen too.

"I just expected something else." "Like what?" "I don't know. Not like I know what's going on between us anyway." He laughed, actually laughed, and the sound surprised both of us. For a second neither of us said anything. "Come on," he said, and got out. Inside it was warm and a little cluttered, books stacked along every wall, people reading quietly in corners, the smell of coffee thick in the air. It felt normal in a way nothing about my life had felt lately, and that normal settled something in my chest.