Novel-novel oleh Maria-Grace

ENZO MORETTIIsa was quiet. She’d stayed that way while I explained the secrets she never knew about.Emiliana DeLuca, Isa’s mother, was why I didn’t grow up with my family.The DeLuca empire was the reason I could barely remember what my mother’s cooking tasted like on Thanksgiving.Isa’s arms were wrapped around her body as she dragged her eyes to me.I couldn’t tell yet what thoughts were swimming behind those eyes.“You found out during our trip, didn’t you?” Isa asked in a very small voice.She sounded exhausted, and I could hear it in the faint struggle her voice carried.“Yes. The ring in her desk was the same one…” I couldn’t bring myself to finish. “I remembered the ring, took a picture, and got the confirmation. It was your mum who took my family from me.”Isa touched her neck, her back hunched. “Marco knows.”She didn’t ask. She stated it.My heart sank, and disappointment burned in my chest.I knew she was hurt. Marco was a sensitive topic for Isa, just as Isa was for Marc

ISABELLA GARCIAIt wasn’t a vacation, but it was meant to do what a vacation would do.We came here to feel rested. I wanted to be away from the world.It was just Enzo and me on the premises. We didn’t bring any of his guards.No one was supposed to know where we were.When Enzo told me no one knew this location, I didn’t believe him. Okay, I did believe him, but I thought that didn’t include Marco.He said Marco didn’t know it.I glanced toward the kitchen, where Enzo was having a virtual meeting with Marco and his board of directors. They didn’t like that he left town without informing them, but he said he was going to handle it.And so, I had to handle mine.I set the tablet down on the table. I was in the garage, and the doors opened to the driveway where Enzo parked his truck.When we first came here, I thought of how Ethan would have loved the garage.So many friendships started in people’s garages, bands, and reading groups.Ethan loved to dream, and this garage would have giv

CLEO GARCIADebbie handed me a bagel, and I thanked her quietly, my phone pressed to my ear.Isa was on the other line. She wasn’t at home either. She and Enzo had skipped town without telling anyone.“Let me help,” Debbie offered, taking my laptop from my arm.The weight lifted from my shoulder, and I sighed, already feeling some relief.It was my first day back at the office after… everything.My desk was piled up, and I was definitely taking on more than I could handle. But challenges kept me going. Without them, I wouldn’t even recognize the face I saw in the mirror.I took the first sweet bite of my bagel. “Think of places that mattered to him,” I told Isa, even though I was still upset with her. I was angry, but I was also sorry.If I was being honest, this was a hard, uncertain place for me.I can’t pretend Ethan’s death didn’t take its toll.I was still in shock, the kind that left you unsure of your next move.And yet, the world kept moving. Around us. Around me.“He was sev

ISABELLA GARCIAIt was a sad day, the Friday for Ethan's funeral. It began drizzling early in the morning, and by noon the ground was soaked.I was glad it was an indoor ceremony from start to finish. Only family members were allowed to attend.Ethan never had many friends or much of a social life anyway.I sat through the sermon, dabbing my eyes with a tissue. His photo stood on a table for everyone to see. He was smiling in it, so full of life.I said a silent prayer to God as the rain fell outside. I hoped my baby was happy in the afterlife. I hoped he didn’t hate me. I hoped he wasn’t scared in the dark.Enzo placed his hand on mine, and I turned to look at him.Black was the color of the day. Cleo and Marco sat behind us.Mum didn’t make it. I wasn’t even mad. I didn’t want her here.It always seemed fake when she acted like she cared. She never cared enough about Ethan. Her obsession with controlling me had always been stronger than any affection she claimed to have for him.I f

ENZO MORETTIIsa took off her shoes as soon as I turned off the engine.She had been quiet for most of the ride to the funeral home. She hadn’t answered her mum’s calls either, but now she was dialing a number.I could already guess who she was calling.“We’re here, love,” I said, taking the keys out of the ignition and catching them in my hand.Isa hushed me and showed me her screen. She was calling Emiliana.My throat tightened as I leaned back in my seat.Her mother’s voice came through the speaker.“What did I ever do to you as a kid, Isabella?” Emiliana asked, clearly frustrated from not getting to her daughter sooner.The silence of this neighborhood was so heavy that even a pin dropping would have been loud.Isa kicked off her trainers and curled up in the seat, folding her legs beside her.She pressed her phone’s side button until her mum’s voice was too faint for me to hear.“A lot of things. Do you want to get into them now?” Isabella said.Her lips quivered, reacting to som

ISABELLA GARCIA“I don’t want to see. Can you blindfold me?” I asked Enzo.He paused and leaned back, studying me. His eyes felt like they were scraping my skin, and the tension between us thickened.“That’s new,” Enzo said, a small grin forming on one side of his lips. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”I rolled my eyes and fell back onto the bed. “If I tell you to do something, I mean it. Stop with the extra check-ins. I’m not a baby.”A part of me disagreed with that, and I wrestled with her inside my head.Enzo was watching me, almost laughing. “Are you good, my love?” he asked.I rolled my eyes again, biting the inside of my mouth before pulling him closer. Our lips almost touched, but I kept a little space between us.Holding his gaze, I gave him my rules.“I want you to blindfold me. I want you to tie me to this bed and pleasure me. I want to shake and cry because I can’t handle it. I want to stop seeing his face.”Enzo’s expression hardened. He pushed himself up, leaning on

STACY The contractions started to roll in by noon. One after another, getting stronger with time. The day had finally arrived, a day I had both anticipated and dreaded. Labor. As I sat on the edge of the bed, a wave of excitement surged through me, mingled with a healthy dose of apprehension. It was surreal to think that soon I would hold my baby girl in my arms. She would be ours, a tangible result of the love Jerome and I had nurtured over the years. I had taken classes about this and I didn’t want to worry my husband for nothing, but when it got stronger and harder to ignore, I called for him. “Jerome!” He came rushing into the room, his hair tousled and his face slightly flushed. He must have been napping, and the worried look on his face made my heart race. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” “I think it’s time,” I said, a nervous smile breaking through. His eyes widened as he processed my words. “Really? Like, right now?” He sounded both ecstatic and terrified. “Yeah,

JEROMETwo years later. Dark lashes fanned against her skin, the sun was soft against her flesh, her body slowly moving upward and downward, her breathing muffled on her pillow. That was the sight I had woken up to. I was the luckiest person on earth right now. I stayed perched on the edge of the bed, watching as the soft morning light took away sleep from my eyes. The sight before me was captivating: Stacy, my beautiful Stacy, lost in a peaceful slumber, her dark hair fanned out across the pillow like a halo. I couldn’t help but smile as I took in the serenity of the moment. We had come a long way since that first date, a day marked by confusion, heartache, and a beautiful, unguarded honesty that had laid the foundation for everything that followed. The journey hadn’t always been easy; there were still challenges to face and moments of vulnerability that left us both shaken. But together, we had built something extraordinary—a life filled with love, laughter, and mutual support.

STACY I still couldn’t believe I had agreed to this. A joint date with Lisa? Lisa and Kiera. The thought swirled in my mind as I stood in front of my mirror, staring at my reflection. My fingers traced the hem of the dress I had picked out—simple, yet flattering enough for what felt like one of the strangest nights of my life. Lisa had convinced me, somehow, to go along with this. I wasn’t even sure how it all happened. One minute, we were awkwardly avoiding each other, and the next, we were laughing about how ridiculous it was that we were going on this double date. I heard a knock on the door and glanced at my phone—Lisa, of course, right on time. “Come in!” I called, still fussing with my hair. The door swung open, and Lisa waltzed in, her usual confidence trailing behind her. “Are you *still* getting ready?” she teased, flopping onto my bed. “You’re not gonna outshine me, no matter how hard you try.” I rolled my eyes, turning to face her. “It’s called looking presenta

STACY I woke up slowly, the warmth of the blankets making it hard to tell where the bed ended and my body began. The sunlight trickled in through the thin curtains, casting soft streaks of light across the room. For a moment, everything felt serene, like I could stay in this cocoon of warmth and silence forever. Then I realized Jerome wasn’t next to me. I rolled over, blinking sleep from my eyes, and saw the space where he should have been. The sheets were crumpled on his side, still warm. I heard the faint sound of water running and figured he must be in the shower. I lay there for a minute, listening to the sound of the water and feeling a strange sense of distance. It was odd, waking up without him beside me. We’d spent the night together, but it hadn’t felt as close as it usually did. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and padded across the cool floor, feeling the chill against my bare feet. The bathroom door was slightly ajar, letting out a cloud of steam. I peeked ins

JEROME Shooting that day had been intense. We were working on one of the final scenes, the kind that was supposed to be raw and emotional, but instead of saving it for later in the production schedule, the producers wanted to get it done early for promotional material. It was all part of the business. We had to sell the movie, and nothing sold better than a sneak peek of a climactic moment. The set was buzzing with activity. Lights were being adjusted, makeup artists hovered nearby, and the crew moved around, setting up equipment and whispering about the next shot. I felt the pressure building, but I was used to it by now. This wasn’t my first film, and it definitely wouldn’t be my last. Chase called for a break, and I seized the opportunity to step away for a bit. I’d been on set all day, and I needed a breather before getting back into the set. Besides, I had something else on my mind. I was supposed to meet up with Stacy after we wrapped up for the day. We had plans to see my

STACY Lisa had been gushing for weeks about how she was excited to introduce Jerome to Kiera. The way she talked about Kiera, with that glimmer in her eyes, made it impossible not to be happy for her. Everything was going to go fine today, I could already sense it. I was on shift that afternoon, taking orders and serving trays like usual. The restaurant wasn’t too packed, which gave me time to glance around and keep an eye on the door. Part of me was hoping they’d pick another spot, or maybe decide at the last minute that a fancy café was better suited for a first meeting like this. But, of course, that wasn’t Lisa’s style. She loved the casual vibe of Burger Trio, and it was one of the few places where she and Jerome could relax. The good thing was I missed my friends and wanted to see them, the bad thing was I missed my friends and wanted to see them. They made working hard and pleasurable. I was behind the counter when I saw them enter. Lisa was all energy, waving at m

There was no slowing down after that. Larissa didn’t want to. Miguel didn’t want to.Soon she was lying on the bed and her wedding gown was hunched around her thighs.She wanted to peel her stockings away and every other thing on her body. Those were the things Miguel’s hands were making her think of.He hovered above her, moving his lips to her neck and collarbone, devouring her face with his eyes tightly shut.Larissa couldn’t look at him long enough. She couldn't concentrate.He pushed the strap of her gown away with one movement.Miguel got up to remove his shirt. Larissa knew what to do to her gown.She was about to take the stockings off when he stopped her.“Leave it on for me.” He climbed over her and picked her leg up.He kissed a trail from her knee to her stomach, then draped her legs over his waist.They were both naked, burning for one another. It ached so bad Larissa thought she would go crazy.Miguel kissed her lips before she could say anything. What would she even say

Larissa’s heart was in the clouds for the rest of the day.The priest married them and asked her husband to kiss his bride. It was going to be her first kiss.Miguel held her face in his hands before he lowered his lips, taking what was now his.He tasted as good as he looked, even better. As soon as he was kissing her, Larissa couldn’t use her head again.He sucked on her bottom lip and she returned the favor. He pushed his tongue into her and the fiery dance for dominance started after that.It wasn’t a mere kiss to Larissa. The stars were twinkling at the back of her eyes already. Her fingers held onto him.He showed her the ropes with delicate yet hungry moves and it turned out to be the most magical first kiss ever.After the ceremony, they moved out of the cathedral to take pictures and that was when she saw the convoy he had come with.There were three cars lined up close to the gate. A man came down from the first car and walked over to them.“Angel this is my wife, Larissa Di

Miguel Sebastian stood in the center of the cathedral, like a god of gods. Everyone waited for him to do something. Larissa wanted him to take off his hat. She could see his hair peeping around the nape of his neck. It was probably long. His dressing was neat, a clean shirt and pants, ironed and drowsed with a moderately musk cologne. Miguel’s strides were as long as his legs and in less than a minute, he was at the front of the church. The time felt like forever to Larissa. It felt like he was a breath away from her when he was at least four feet away. He locked his eyes on hers and Larissa curled her toes. She did it to plant herself on the ground. Looking at him also felt too damn good her insides were curling and shouting with glee. Something she had not been all day until he came along. “You are beautiful,” he said, standing with his legs slightly apart. Larissa blinked. She parted her lips and breathed in first. “Thank you.” “How many brothers do you have?” Miguel wa

Things took a turn for the worse, something Larissa didn’t see happening. She was seated on the front row of the pews. Her brother and mother tried to calm her down. An hour passed and Liam wasn’t there. Hushed gossip was starting to fly around. Was Liam coming? Was he trying to humiliate her? Larissa squeezed her gown in her hands just as her brother, Asher, stood up. She turned at the sound of the door opening, hoping to see her soon-to-be husband but it wasn’t him. It was Mauley. His nickname was gotten from the word, Maul which was given to him because of his huge stature. He approached, carrying bad new. The entire church guessed it. He was here without Liam. That was a bad sign already. Asher met him halfway and Mauley whispered into Asher’s ears. After that, Mauley turned around and left. The church was silent. Everyone was waiting for the next shoe to drop. Larissa wished she could disappear. She deserved better. Asher returned to their seat with a fallen face.

Larissa stood in front of the mirror, looking at her gown. It was beautiful, but she didn’t feel happy. She was more nervous than anything. Even if the nerves went away, she still wouldn’t feel excited.Her father and brothers had chosen Liam to be her husband.“Mama, don’t tell me to smile,” Larissa said, her voice shaking. “I’m not happy.”Her mother stood behind her, brushing her long black hair. She always looked perfect, wearing the best clothes and jewelry. She was the Queen to her husband, one of the tri capi in New Jersey.“Do you know how much your gown cost?” her mother asked, shocked. “Look at you—you’re dressed like a princess. You should feel lucky.”But Larissa didn’t feel lucky. She felt stuck.“Liam comes from a good family,” her mother said, trying to make her smile.“But he’s not one of the tri capi,” Larissa replied. Liam wasn’t good enough for her. He had some money, and he looked okay, but that wasn’t enough. Larissa was sure she could even beat him in a fight if

SABRINA MORALES I wanted nothing more than to be alone when I stepped out of Mum’s apartment. My heart felt heavy, and I needed space to breathe and process everything. The ghost of our conversation lingered, pulling me into my thoughts as I walked away. My vision was blurry, clouded by stinging tears that refused to stay back no matter how hard I tried to hold them in. They welled up, spilling over, and I couldn’t stop them. Each tear carried a piece of the pain I felt inside, making it tough to see clearly. And trust me, I really tried. I fought to keep my emotions in check, to stay strong, but the tears kept coming. It was like my heart was pouring out through my eyes, and no amount of effort could stop the flood. I climbed into my car and drove off without looking back even once. I couldn’t bear to see Mum’s face in my mind again. The image of her expression was too much, too raw, and I needed to escape it for now. The look on Mum’s face haunted me, etched into my thoughts

BLAZE WILLIAMS “It’s not what you think,” I said to Mum, rushing to her side, my voice shaky. Mum pulled away, refusing to let me touch her. Her eyes scanned me from head to toe, then shifted to Sabrina, narrowing with suspicion. “How long has this been happening?” Mum’s voice boomed, her anger aimed at me. After a moment, she blinked, shaking her head as if rethinking her words. “No, I shouldn’t even ask you,” Mum said, turning to jab her accusing fingers at Sabrina. “You started this, didn’t you?” Mum snapped at Sabrina. “How long have you been seducing my son? How long have you tried to wreck his life with your schemes?” Sabrina tucked her hair behind her ear, her hands wrapping tightly around herself for protection. “Me? You’re blaming me?” Sabrina cried, her voice cracking with shock as she let out a bitter chuckle. There was no trace of humor in her tone, only disbelief. “Yes, I blame you!” Mum shouted. “Who else? My son brought a date tonight. He’s committed to someone

SABRINA MORALES Marcy kept her eyes locked on Blaze, staring him down with a fierce intensity, even though he refused to meet her gaze. Blaze avoided her completely, his eyes darting to the table, then to his lap, anywhere but Marcy, who sat right next to him, her presence impossible to ignore. Marcy’s glare burned into the side of Blaze’s head, so intense I thought his skull might split open any moment. Her eyes were like lasers, unrelenting and sharp. “I think I should leave too,” Marcy said, her voice cold and final. She shoved her chair back with a loud scrape, and I couldn’t help but watch her, my disdain growing stronger by the second. I had promised myself I’d come here with an open mind, determined not to hate her just because she was Blaze’s date. I wanted to give her a fair chance. But after sitting with her for just five minutes, I wanted to kick her out the door. Sure, her being on Blaze’s arm fueled my resentment, but it was her siding with Leticia to attack my mo

CAROLINE MORALES “Are we waiting for someone?” Caroline asked as we all settled into our seats at the dining table. Everyone was here except my daughter, Sabrina, and I didn’t want to start the meal without her presence. “My daughter,” I replied to Caroline, my voice tight with frustration from having her in my home. I was still fuming because I didn’t think I should have been the one to answer Leticia’s question. Jo was sitting right next to me, so why couldn’t he have spoken up for me instead? “Oh,” Leticia said softly, her hands dropping to her lap beneath the table. “Have you tried calling her?” Blaze asked, reaching for his phone on the table. I stood abruptly, tossing my napkin onto the table with a sharp motion. “Excuse me,” I muttered before leaving the dining room. I didn’t glance back to see the expressions on anyone’s face. I started dialing Sabrina’s number when a knock came at the door. A wave of relief washed over me, and I clutched my chest, exhaling deeply.

CAROLINE MORALES I never imagined the next person to show up at our door would be Leticia, Joseph’s ex-wife. Jo and I were just stepping into the cozy living room when Jason headed to answer the doorbell. He swung the door open, and there stood Leticia on the other side. I recognized her face instantly, not just from old photos Jo had shown me, but from all the sneaky online stalking I’d done. I couldn’t help myself. I had spent hours scrolling through her profiles. Leticia was a dazzling lifestyle and fashion star, practically a celebrity. Her face graced magazine covers, her skin glowing like smooth butter, always soft, supple, and seemingly untouched by time. She had this radiant, ageless beauty that made her stand out. I would never confess to Jo or anybody that I made fake social media accounts just to keep tabs on Leticia’s posts. Nope, that secret was staying locked away, never to be shared with anyone. “Leti’s here,” Jo muttered beside me, his voice drippi

JOSEPH WILLIAMS Caroline’s giggles echoed through the living room as she squirmed to escape my playful chase. “Someone’s at the door, baby!” she called out, pulling away from my tickling fingers with a big smile. She darted around the couch, putting it between us like a barrier to keep me at bay. “Stop it, please!” Caroline said, still giggling uncontrollably. She clutched her stomach, trying hard to put on a stern face while giving me a warning look. “Whoever’s at the door can wait a minute,” I teased, wiggling my eyebrows at her playfully. Caroline shook her head, her laughter bursting out again, filling the room with joy. Seeing her distracted by her giggles, I seized the chance and crept around the corner of the couch to get closer. Caroline let out a surprised squeal when she saw me right beside her. She jerked back, dashing away with a playful scream. “Joseph!” she shouted, her voice breaking with laughter as tears of joy sparkled in her eyes. Caroline wiped her cheeks