The Shards Novels & Stories

Ruby's gaze was glued to the screen, her body shaking as if she had seen a ghost. "You don't have to sign," I said, my voice a chilling whisper. "But if you don't, this unedited, crystal-clear video will be tomorrow's sensation, plastered over every news site. I'll even send a copy to your parents, all your relatives, friends, and colleagues. "Think you'll see a dime of that settlement then? Think you'll have the dignity to walk this earth?"

I burst into tears as I begged them, already knowing their plan. My shins scraped against tile, searing pain racing through my legs as one of them shoved the bar of soap inside me. "Please.stop." I beg, face flushed with pain. "Bigger than other cocks that have been rammed up your ass?" One prisoner taunted. The taunting grew louder. Then a warning shout from the back—"Guards!" The grip loosened and the soap plopped out of my ass. A fist smashed into my ribs, another across my jaw. “

The morning light filtered weakly through the curtains, casting fractured patterns on the floor — much like my thoughts, splintered and jagged. I sat at the small kitchen table, clutching my cup of cold coffee, staring at the leather-bound book *Reflections of the Forgotten* open before me. The stories inside weren’t just tales — they were warnings, lessons written in sorrow and hope. Women who had lived as shadows, trapped in lives borrowed from others, fighting to reclaim their own reflections.

“Spare me—I know Shadowfang’s plan!” My blood ran cold. What’s Shadowfang’s plan? I froze, staring at her. Gabriel tensed, claws ready. “Talk,” he growled. Selene coughed, blood on her lips. The vault buzzed, tension thick. “Shadowfang has the fourth shard,” she rasped. “They’ll destroy us all.” My heart sank, the revelation hitting hard. I stepped closer, my voice sharp. “Prove it!” She smirked weakly, pulling a data chip. “Here,” she muttered, tossing it. I caught it, plugging it to my device and accessing it fast.

The memory was a shard of glass in my heart. “What we had?” The words were quiet, but they cut deeper than a shout. “You mean the years you let me believe I was broken, while you knew the truth? The art you stole from me? The child you murdered? That’s not a marriage, Vincent. That’s a damnation.” "It was a misunderstanding! It was all Sophia’s plan!" Vincent sobbed, tears and blood mixing on his face. "I already made her pay! I made her life a living hell!"

In each shard, a different timeline plays out: —Eden alive, his scars glowing gold, leading an army of wolves. —The Hunter as he once was, human and whole, laughing beside Kael. —Me, alone in a wasteland, the Seed’s roots strangling the stars. The reflections don’t fade. They *multiply*, each shard birthing new scenes, new ghosts. The Forgotten flee, but Veyra stands transfixed, her hand hovering over a shard showing her brother alive. “Don’t,” I warn. She touches it anyway. --- **The Echoes’ Gambit** The shard engulfs her, yanking her into a mirrored timeline. I dive after her, the static screaming as we crash into a warped replica of the fortress. Here, the oak is dead, its branches skelet

She was a hollow shell of a person who was losing herself everyday. She was a broken doll just like her fractured marriage and destroyed destiny. ━━━━━━━━━━ So how was the first chapter you all?

Liam stood nearby, silent, unreadable. "Come," Ella said softly, guiding me to the couch. "I'm sorry. Was I shouting too much?" I tried to smile, to ease her guilt. But it came out twisted, hollow. "It wasn't your shouting," I said, my voice weak. "It was the glass. When it shattered, it... brought something back." "Oh, dear." Her hand closed gently over mine, trying to steady the tremble. "Here," Liam said quietly, offering me a glass of water. I stared at him for a moment, surprised. Then I took it. The cold water slid down my throat and seemed to calm the storm in me, at least for now.

Chapter Seventy-Two: Beneath the Surface Vanessa tapped her long, polished nails on the wooden table of the quaint café she'd chosen for her meeting with Clara. The scent of freshly brewed coffee filtered through the air, mingling with the soft hum of murmurs around her. Clara was already running five minutes behind, but Vanessa wasn't bothered. It gave her time to strategize. This wasn’t just a casual catch-up—it was a carefully crafted move to uncover the truth about Noah and Stephanie.

In Natasha's case, she was diagnosed with Chronic myeloid leukemia. In the midst of her thoughts, Natasha found herself overwhelmed with emotions. Tears streamed down her face as she reflected on her life's journey thus far. Memories flooded her mind, starting with the loss of her mother and the loneliness she felt growing up as the only female child. She also thought about her close friend Imade Martins, whom she had lost touch with over the years.