Novelas y relatos de The Way It Used To Be Book

That the thing he had spent thirteen years and an incalculable amount of money and one daughter’s childhood keeping buried was no longer buried. I picked up my book. My hands were completely steady. Outside the library window the city moved in its indifferent, continuous way. The surface had cracked. Now we waited for the pieces to fall.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"This is a university, Mallory Leighton. Not your family's backyard. A little money doesn't give you the right to do whatever you want." I snorted inwardly and looked away. 'Typical clown behavior. Go ahead. Enjoy your tiny victory while it lasts.' … That afternoon, the moment I pushed open the dorm door, a familiar scent hit me. It was the soothing-face-cream blend I'd asked one of my father's friends at a Helvetia lab to formulate for me—only one jar existed in the world. My stomach dropped. I rushed straight to my cabinet. The silver jar was sitting exactly where I'd left it, but it felt far too light in my hand.

That wasn't mere pocket change! Residents of Arriva City began to spread rumors—that Jackson was going mad, giving up money for a woman. When she heard the news, Lumina's gaze shifted to the window, and she lowered her eyes. The day she left Arriva City, she told herself that Jackson was dead to her. Yet, to claim she felt nothing at all would be a lie. Not long ago, hearing Jackson's name made her nauseous and unable to eat. However, Cadmus's kindness had gradually helped her let go. Whenever she felt upset or overwhelmed by her emotions, Cadmus would write on his tablet, "Look ahead toward a better life."

He'd gotten down on one knee beside me and clasped my hands, saying tenderly, "I love seeing you like this, Maeve." I'd saved him and trapped myself in a horrible nightmare ten years ago. Ten years later, he personally broke my finger, and with it, the last thing that tied us together. … As I lay in the abandoned warehouse at three in the morning with my fingers splayed in awkward, broken angles, my men hurried in with medical equipment. The warehouse behind me was set ablaze. As the fire burned and ravaged the building, I leaned into my seat and called the person coordinating my plans.

They were the gentlest words I’d ever spoken, yet Luna squirmed away, leaving my hand suspended. It might have been the most awkward meal I’d ever had, but Luna looked delighted, and Amber’s laughter never once faded. And that was enough. No matter how much humiliation I endured, as long as I could be sure they would be happy, that was enough. Later, I turned down Amber’s offer to walk home together and headed in the opposite direction. There was no place for me in this city. My parents lived far away, tucked away in a quiet mountain village. We were worlds apart.

… White light flashed, and I returned to the real world. I was back in my old apartment. Everything felt like a long dream. I looked at myself in the mirror. My image felt familiar, yet strange. In that world, I had felt the depths of hate and the thrill of revenge. Everything had settled into a quiet calm. My phone buzzed with a news alert. [Genius pianist Xavier Zane announces a global tour. Tickets sold out instantly!] I froze. Xavier Zane? I clicked on the article and saw a face that I could never forget.

I whispered. A fresh wave of nausea hit, memories pushing like claws against the walls of my mind, shadows of a past life I had spent years trying to understand. This book...This book was the answer. This was the ritual Darren used to kill me, to kill my baby, to take power for himself.

"Who are you?" Phoebe lifted her head, the arrogance gone from her eyes. She wiped her tears and sat up on her knees. "Mrs. Shaw, my parents abandoned me. I just wanted a real home, that's why I've stayed here." I did not believe a word of it. A child abandoned like that would not end up in an orphanage by coincidence. Nonetheless, that was not my focus. So, I asked what mattered most, "How do I break the connection between you and Maisie once and for all?"

"Look, Sydney. I've made sure your room is exactly the way it used to be. I also tracked down all your belongings and returned them to their original places. Do you like this surprise?" It had been so long since I last stepped foot here that everything felt familiar, yet unrecognizable at the same time. This was the same way I felt toward Zach. I shook my head and replied, "What's the point? It means nothing anymore. Even if you try to recreate our past, we will never return to the way things were."

He looked at Egan and asked, "I heard Finn say you guys have an old book. Can I read it?" "Oh, of course." Egan went to a corner of the cave, brought out an old wooden box, and set it down in front of Uri. "This is the book Finn said." He took from the wooden box a faded leather-bound book and gave it to Uri. Despite knowing the book's contents, Uri still felt nervous when holding it in his hands. He read ancient words; his hand touched the pages of antique books, and the old smell of the years wafted on his nose. It gave him a feeling like he was back three thousand years ago.