Oblivion
by
Jessica Wood
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2014 by Jessica Wood
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.
ERH Press
ISBN-13 978-1-940285-10-8
First Edition: October 2014
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Other Books by Jessica Wood
Emma’s Story: Book #1: A Night to Forget
Emma’s Story: Book #2: The Day to Remember
Emma’s Story Series Box Set
Summer Fling
Damian
The Heartbreaker – Prequel Novella to DAMIAN
Taming Damian
The Heartbreaker Series Box Set
The Chase, Vol. 1
The Chase, Vol. 2
The Chase, Vol. 3
The Chase, Vol. 4
The Chase – Complete Series Box Set
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Pre-Orders Currently Available
Promise to Marry – November 17, 2014
ACKNOWLE DGEMENTS
There are so many people that deserve my sincere gratitude.
First and foremost, I want to thank all my readers. This has by far been the most challenging book I have written thus far. Thank you for all your patience and understanding as I worked through this story to make it the way I had envisioned it in my head. You are the reason that I write. Thank you for buying my books, enjoying them, and telling your friends about them. I would be nowhere without you and your continuous love and support!
Thank you to all my beta readers who read this story and gave me invaluable feedback when I needed them. A special thank you to Stacy Hahn, Tanya Skaggs, Marlin Paulino, and Mary Seto for reading this story as I wrote it chapter by chapter and providing me with lightening-speed feedback. You have seen this story at its infancy and helped me painfully shape it until it was ready to be published. Thank you for all your precious hours, indispensable comments, and always-needed moral support.
Thank you to my street team for always supporting me and my books. I truly appreciate all that you do for me! Even if I’m not always able to thank you for your help, please know that they do not go unnoticed.
Thank you to all the bloggers who have supported me and shared my books. You do an often-thankless and time-intensive job. Thank you for everything that you do.
Many thanks to Louisa Maggio for designing the amazing cover for this book. I cannot tell you how much I love it. Whether it was to design a cover, make teaser graphics, or simply to chat, you always made time for me, and I can’t thank you enough for that!
Big thanks to J.S. Cooper for making the inspiring book trailer for Oblivion. I really appreciated the time and thought you put into making this trailer so special. <3
XO,
Jessica Wood
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Epilogue
Author’s Note
Other Books
Synopsis from Promise to Marry
About the Author
“The moment I heard my first love story I began seeking you, not realizing the search was useless. Lovers don’t meet somewhere along the way. They’re in one another’s souls from the beginning.”
Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi
CHAPT ER ONE
Tears streamed down my face as I ran into my bedroom and slammed the door behind me. I reached for my diary—the familiar pink leather journal that was filled with my deepest thoughts. My shaky fingers pulled the gold fabric ribbon page marker, taking me to my last entry, and I began to frantically scribble down everything I was feeling at that moment—all the pain and fear that raced inside me as the screaming escalated an octave higher between my parents outside of my room.
They’re fighting again. It’s been happening more and more frequently, each time worse than the day before.
I wish they weren’t so unhappy. I wish my parents didn’t hate each other so much. I wish I was anyone else but myself right now. I wish I was anywhere else but here.
As if hearing my thoughts, I heard my father roar, “If you want a fucking divorce, you can have it! But I’m going to warn you just this once: if you walk out of that door, don’t ever think about coming back again!”
“I don’t plan on it!” I heard my mother spit back. “I’m leaving first thing tomorrow, and I’m taking Liv with me!”
“No!” I cried, my mind racing as I thought about everything I was about to lose.
Just then, my room and the pink leather diary in my hand faded away into the background as my consciousness registered a soft, steady beeping in the distance. What is that?
When I turned toward the sound, I found myself running across a familiar street in the middle of the night. I was wearing a jewel-encrusted blush-pink evening gown that weighed down on my body and restricted my movement. The air was bitter cold and cutting, but the adrenaline that coursed inside me seemed to shelter me from the cold like a numbing blanket.
Suddenly, I saw two bright, blinding headlights coming toward me at high speed. The sharp screeching of car tires filled the air, drowning out all other noise. I felt the impact of cold metal against my body as I was lifelessly flung sideways against the solid pavement.
I braced myself for the impact of the pain that would greet my body.
But it didn’t come.
Instead, the steady beeping returned, but this time, it seemed closer, louder.
Then a hushed conversation seeped through my consciousness.
“There’s nothing we can do for her right now, Mr. Brady. As you know she has suffered some head injuries from the accident, so all we can do right now is to wait for her to wake up and see from there.” The female voice seemed miles away, but for some reason, I knew she was talking about me.