Split Second Novels & Stories

“But remember, Lady Elowen. Second wives don’t get to rewrite the story. They only get to accept the ending.” Elowen held that gaze for one long moment, then turned slightly - just enough to show she was aware of the dais and the court beyond it. The banners fluttered faintly with the movement of air through high doors. The sound of distant bells - announcement bells, ceremonial bells - threaded through the hall, low and inevitable.

She glanced down, expecting another client update or one of the many emails she had been ignoring for the past ten minutes. Instead, she saw a name she hadn’t expected. Jax: I hope this isn’t a bad time. Chelsea stared at the message for a second. It was already suspicious. Chelsea: That depends. Are you about to ask me to sit through another disastrous blind date? The reply came almost immediately. Jax: No. I learned my lesson. I don’t think I have the emotional capacity to witness another man making you wait an hour. She smiled before she could stop herself. Chelsea: Good. Because I don’t think I have the patience to pretend to be polite again.

I wanted to complain but she wasn't done yet. “Relax sir. The first phase failed, but then we found out that it was because some chemicals were not up to par, so we had to use an alternative, which surprisingly worked. And then we had to do the second phase, the third phase, and we’re in the fourth phase now.” “Wait, how many phases are there?” “Twelve, apparently. But we are taking our time to make sure that your mother receives the best care that anybody can receive.” I was so glad that I had met with Silas. Without him or his money I would be screwed.

Reagan watched me for a few seconds, then in a voice flatter than before, he said, “One year.” I turned my head. “What?” “This marriage. We keep it up for one year,” he said casually. “After that, we can get divorced. The business world’s used to seeing impulsive marriages fall apart in a year. No one will suspect a thing. Just enough to protect the family name. Then we go our separate ways, no drama. Win-win.” One year. That sentence hit like a hammer falling gently onto a glass table. Didn’t shatter right away but the cracks started showing.

"Wendy! You've gone way too far! I told you that the divorce is just for show, so why are you still being mean to Yvonne?!" I held my stinging cheek, tears welling up in my eyes. That was the second time he hit me over Yvonne. Even with a second chance at life, I could not escape being picked on by Yvonne. I could not keep quiet anymore and shot back, "Eric. After ten years of marriage, don't you know me at all? Would I really do something like that? "And be honest. Is this divorce really just for show?" He looked stunned, as if I had caught him off guard. He stared at me, speechless, without any explanation.

he says, finding a quiet space with room for Asena to stretch out or me to move around if the shift is difficult and takes a long time. I strip off my clothes and let Asena push forward. I fall to my hands and knees as she begins to push the shift. When the first bone snaps, I cry out in pain. “We’re right here, Ayda,” Dimitri says, and a moment later, Zev is beside me, rubbing himself against our side, encouraging Asena keep going. “You’re not alone, Ayda. Dad and I are here,” Cathal says, gently rubbing his hands down my back while Zev rubs his face over mine, moving to each bone as they snap.

“That would be the start and every time I make mistakes, you will bottle it up until you can take it anymore and explode. And by the time I realized that you knew about the affair, it was already too late because you had already moved on from me.” “Oh.” I nodded. “That is what most women do when they want to give the person they love a second chance. They would pretend that nothing was wrong but they were observing. And every time they got hurt, their feelings for their partner were slowly fading away until it was too late for it to restore.” “And I thank you for choosing to let go for a while instead of giving me a second chance immediately.” He touched his forehead to mine. “You didn’t let

I would miss them. The melody of a random song played softly and I focused my attention on the blurs of the landscape, detached and absorbed in the drops that formed various undefined outlines. I once read in a magazine that human beings have a network of neurons specialized in recognizing glances, substantially a detector of which sets off a brain alarm the instant you realize you are being watched. At that minute, my "radar" was activated, so I changed the direction of my vision and saw that John was staring at me, quickly focusing back on the wet runway.

She treated me like a toy that belonged to her, and her alone. But when she realized that I had never belonged to her, not even once, something inside her shattered. She wouldn't allow it. She wanted to reclaim me as her possession, no matter the cost. However, she miscalculated. I was not some possession for her to hoard, and I would never forgive her. After taking over the company, I used only half a years' time to double the profits of the small company, to my father's great satisfaction. A year later, he handed the company to me completely, and I immediately started dismantling both the Joneses and the Goldings.