• WATTYS 2022 WINNER • When Iris Monet married millionaire Jared Darling, she had only one rule - that he could cheat on her with anyone except the household staff. This arrangement of theirs would have gone on quite happily if she hadn't caught him on the snooker table with their maid, and on their wedding anniversary night no less. Humiliated and more than a little drunk, Iris storms out of the house vowing never to return unless it's for a well-compensated divorce. But as the train trundles out of the city, she slowly calms down and quickly realizes that there's a problem. A big problem. Because the only thing Iris has ever done in her life is being a trophy wife. The prospect of unfunded singlehood on the cusp of her thirties is a horrifying nightmare she's unprepared to deal with. So naturally, when she lays eyes on who she thinks is the richest bachelor in Ryefair, Iris is more than ready to put her claws into him. Except, Satoh Akai isn't the richest bachelor in Ryefair - not by a long shot. And as someone who speaks better with animals than people, romance is the furthest thing from his mind. When an unstoppable force meets an immovable object, anything is possible but one thing is certain - worlds will collide and hearts will burn. ✒ 17th November 2021 (start) ✒ 27th July 2022 (end)

"Born again, are you all dreaming? Wake up! Nicodemus was right! There's no way you can be born again! We're all already here, we were born! Now, we're gonna die! It's as simple as that." My face was hot and my hands were shaking. We're all gonna die... I pushed the memory back and shook my head, eyes angry and staring down the pastor. "Jesus fed his disciples and all the people around him a whole bunch of crap and they ate it." "Naomi!" "He didn't know what he was talking about because fictional characters in a story never do. They say the lines their authors give them because it's their job to. They don't exist. He never existed. You all should realize that sooner or later instead of wasting your time here, it's screwing with your minds." A pin could have dropped from the top floor and we would all hear it. "Then why don't you just leave." The cold words plummeted against my chest as quickly as they came. That was the pin drop, the end to all the excitement, but not. My heart hammered against my rib cage as the voice echoed through my ears, playing over and over. His words, they were insulting, they hurt, but I didn't show it. I turned and faced him and his eyes remained indifferent towards me. I froze in my seat. They were once this bright hazel, but they seemed darker now, furious. "If you feel that way, then leave." He spat. His jaw clicked at the end of his sentence. "Take your opinions, take your anger, take your indignant heart, and leave this church." ~~~ It never occurred to Naomi that He could have been real, that maybe a life of emotional hardship was the plan for her all along. If it had occurred, she never accepted the thought. She never accepted anything, but Carter. What was life? What was love? What was pain? What was happiness? What is God? Read the story of a broken girl who finds the truth through love.

Fancy writing some short fiction? This collection contains a series of prompts that can be used as a personal challenge, a way to compete with your fellow Wattpadders and of course a great place to find some great stories. Everything from vignettes to flash fiction, a celebration of all things Short Story