Quick reads you can finish in 10-30 minutes
Found 6 short novels in Substitute
“I’m not dead,” I croaked, tasting blood and dust. “Good,” a woman’s voice said outside. “If she’s dead, we’re done with risk.” “Good? Don’t say that like it’s a blessing,” another voice sneered. I forced my eyes open. Cold wind hit my face. My head felt split. I touched my temple and pulled my hand back bloody. “What happened? I was making dinner—” I muttered, then heard the two women walk away. Their voices faded. I blinked. A low stone wall. A torn paper window. A broken door...
I pushed open the heavy doors of Night Jade and the light hit me hard. "Who let the moonflower in?" a voice called from the crowd. "Moonflower?" I heard another laugh. "More like second best." They closed in around me. Hands found my waist, my arm, the hem of my dress. I stepped back. "Get your hands off me," I said. "What's the rush, moonflower?" one of them purred. A manager's voice cut through. "Room 702, now. Move." They spat and scattered. I smoothed my dress and...
I lifted the veil and stepped out onto a red carpet I did not want. "Smile for the camera," the stylist said, hands steady on my dress. I forced my mouth into a smile. "Right," I said. "Smile." My head filled with one sentence my adoptive mother had said last night. "You owe us, Ning Xia. You take her place tomorrow." I swallowed. I kept smiling. The altar had a wheelchair at the end. No groom, only silent seats and people murmuring. "Please exchange rings," the priest said,...
"I slammed my phone shut," I say, because that is the only way I cope. "I slammed it shut and promised tomorrow would be different." I laugh at myself in the mirror. "You always say that, Olivia," I tell the reflection. "You always lie to yourself." I am Olivia Henry. I live on instant noodles and late trains. I work office jobs that eat my evenings. I read romance novels to soak whatever small joy the week leaves me. Tonight I fall asleep on a chapter called "The Bitter Rose and the...
I walked into the Ward mansion in a red dress. "Stay close and do exactly what I tell you," the housekeeper said, her voice steady but her hands shaking a little. "I understand," I said. I kept my head down and walked into the room. He was beautiful even asleep. Sharp cheekbones, thick black lashes, a straight nose. I should have only been a body in a story the family told the old man to get over his grief. I should have only been an actor hired to be a bride for a night. "You're...
“Marry him,” my father said. “I won’t,” I said. “You will,” my mother said. They said it like they were naming a weather day. They sat on their sofa and pointed like judges. I stood in the doorway with my hands still wet from the well bucket, trying to make the words mean less than they did. “You’re the one who must go,” my father said. “Valentina ran. The Hansen family will destroy us if we do not give a bride. You are the only one left.” I looked at my hands. Those hands...
