Those Who Wait Book Novels & Stories

"You probably want to use the money to make Bruno cut ties with me! But I'm telling you right now—dream on!" At her words, I paused for a moment. Why would anyone still like such a despicable man? No wonder people online say jerks and gold-diggers were made for each other. Well, I had no desire to waste any more time with someone like her. Thankfully, the race was over. I saw Liam running toward me, excited to share the joy of winning third place. From the corner of my eye, I saw Raine get up and lunge at me despite her pregnant belly.

I love you. I had spent years of my life desperately waiting to hear those exact words. I had waited for them on those dark nights when the electricity was cut off in our tiny rented apartment. I had waited for them when my back was peeling from hauling heavy freight at the warehouse, in so much pain I couldn't straighten my spine. I had waited for them when I stared down at that slice of mango cake at the celebratory dinner. And I had even waited for them the exact moment that HR disciplinary notice was blasted out to the entire company.

"I said one year. I'm four years late. Are you still waiting?" I didn't answer. I rose on my toes and kissed his scar. He froze for a second. Then he wrapped his coat around me, pulling me in tight, his chin settling back on top of my head. "Yes," I said. "I'll always wait."

"The promise you made me didn't matter. The career I clawed out for myself didn't matter." "Just like even now, you're still making me wait." I sighed and turned to face Julian. "But I've already married someone else. I have a new life." "So tell me, why should I wait for you?" When I finished, I watched the emotions churning in his eyes, then looked down at my watch. "Don. I should go. I don't want to keep Roman waiting too long." The instant those words landed, Julian took a step back. A furious, broken laugh escaped him, and then he grabbed my wrist, hard.

Gary was in a panic, running to every connection he had, begging and groveling to borrow money. He wasn't the only one freaking out about my upcoming marriage alliance. Melissa showed up at my doorstep. If it weren't for the security guards holding her back, she'd have stormed right in. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she was teetering on the edge of a breakdown. "You're getting married? Who are you marrying? Leonel, I won't let you marry someone else!"

Waiting. And plotting their next move.

I stayed outside with terrible vending machine coffee and a magazine I did not read and the particular suspended quality of a waiting room at one in the morning — that specific nowhere-time where normal rules feel temporarily suspended and everything feels slightly more honest than usual. I thought about Rachel Voss in Denver, asleep in whatever life she had built. About Sandra Marsh, who had kept a photocopy in a drawer for two years because something told her she might need it. About Professor Whitfield cleaning his glasses before saying the words that had been sitting inside him for four years. About Kai in the coffee shop, placing his phone on the table like he was putting down something

Camila smiled faintly this time, and the expression looked more honest than any smile she had worn before. “I don’t know yet. Somewhere this city can’t follow me.” I stood up quickly. “Camila—” “Don’t miss the game tomorrow,” she interrupted softly. “He waited thirteen years for that seat to be filled.” She turned as if to leave, then stopped once more. “And Clara?” “Yes?” “When he looks at you tomorrow, don’t look away.” Her smile trembled slightly. “I saw what it did to him every time you did.” Then she walked away.

The chamber was dimly lit, the air thick with an unsettling silence that hung like a shroud over the gathered assembly. A heavy book lay open on the table, its pages empty, yet it seemed to pulse with a hidden power, as if waiting for the right moment to reveal its secrets. Around the book stood a group of figures, their faces obscured by the darkness that clung to the corners of the room. Each of them carried the weight of their master's will, and none dared speak as they awaited the signal.

“Bleiz, by the time you see this letter, I will have already left. As for where I went, I don’t know either, but you won’t find me. As for why I left, the reason is simple: I don’t want to wait anymore.” “I don’t understand. How much longer do I have to wait for you to take me away? Will you one day lie to me and say that I have to wait for your and Mona’s child to grow up, get married, and have children, or wait until you’ve grown old with her before you leave with me?” “Bleiz, my youth is also limited. I don’t want to continue waiting for you based on an empty promise that has no end in sight. Let’s say goodbye here. We will never meet again.”