The Beginning After The End Hiatus Mga Nobela at Kwento

*NOTA BENE: This back matter will be removed in a number of days as it is not part of the story* This end matter prolly should be a chapter on it's own but I'm not one for writing a chapter titled Author's Note. 😏 So, we have come to the end of the first half. 🥰🤗 I am going to take a twelve-day hiatus to wrap up some other stories before I start the second half. 😊😁 I want to use this medium to thank those awesome human beings that have voted and commented on my story, you guys are the best! 😘😍

Xander said the moment we returned, staring at me as if he could see right through me. "Well, you'd better comfort me, then." I hooked my finger on his tie. "After all, we're still young, right?" Xander's ears turned red again as he hummed in agreement under my gaze. I then tackled him and kissed his face all over. … Five years later, the system told me that Elijah's world had finally collapsed. At the time, I was holding my daughter, Maya Fuller, and teaching her to paint when I heard the news. I paused for a moment to remember before the memories came back to me.

I spent a decade loving the wrong man and walking down the wrong path. Thankfully, it was not too late. My life still held endless possibilities. Samuel went back with Morgan, but it felt like pieces of them were gone. He shut down most of the company as he poured his time into accompanying Morgan, wanting to become a decent father. Morgan grew quiet, and his grades collapsed, often staring at my photo alone. Brenda was the one who told me all about it. The only response I gave her was a smile as I said nothing. That was because none of it had anything to do with me anymore.

It was over for me. .... Months and days had passed since the Long War had ended. I wandered the cities of the Empire, searching solace in drink, in women and in food. Money was plentiful. The war had made sure of that. My brothers had both made investments and I was their sole collector. So I did exactly that, investing and binging, enjoying life as I drowned the sorrows of my memories. Then I met him, he was a strange man. Boisterous, glutonnous and too lecherous for my hypocrisy to tolerate.

She was right. This is what Aaron meant, instead of plummeting to the ground like our enemies would have wanted, we are going to use the ground as leverage and emerge even greater than before. It was a risky plan but we could do it, and the hiatus would help us plan more without the intervention of the media. I felt my heart swell with pride, Aaron was a business guru. He knew exactly what he was doing. I nodded as Ella continued “ I don't know where I stand on the hiatus. But I am sure we will have come up with a solid plan before it becomes official.”

And I just stood there for a second longer than everyone else. It didn’t feel like an ending. It felt like a pause. Aiden appeared beside me. “You’re done,” he said. “I think so.” “You don’t sound happy.” “I don’t know what I sound like right now.” That earned a faint glance from him. Then— “You don’t have to figure it out immediately,” he said. I nodded slightly. “I know.” But I still felt it. That strange emptiness after something big ends. Like you were supposed to feel something louder.

Inside was a faded photo of Natalie, age five, grinning with a missing tooth. She held it out. Natalie didn’t take it. But she looked at it. Really looked. Then she walked back into the shelter, not saying another word. Meekey stood alone in the alley, hands shaking, the cold air slicing through her. She didn’t know what would happen next. But for the first time in fourteen years, it didn’t feel like the end. It felt like a beginning.

Sorry about the hiatus. Needed to take soem time and regroup my thoughts on where this is going to go.

But the next day, he was found dead in his living room. He had finally given up. He left behind a letter and ended his life with the same dangerous combination that nearly killed me—cephalexin and alcohol. When I returned home, the police gave me the envelope. Inside it was a brief note filled with apologies and well wishes. "I'm sorry, Grace. I was wrong. I hope you find happiness. Congratulations on your marriage. If there's a next life, I hope I'll be the one to chase after you." But if there was indeed a next life, I never wanted to meet him again.

Less than two days later, I was discharged from the hospital and returned home to pack my things. The moment I pushed open the door, the scene in the living room made my stomach twist. Suzanna sat on Eric’s lap while the two of them kissed. Eric’s hand slipped beneath her collar as he touched her without restraint. Even after noticing me, neither of them stopped. Eric smirked at me with clear provocation. “Shane, you are back. Perfect timing. Suzanna is hungry after her workout, so go make us dinner.”