Novels by VACCARIA

“Right. Raven and I grew up together, while Violet is one of my good friends. Now you know two people within my circle,” I confirmed. Smiling gracefully, I held Edmund’s wrist to make him stop his awkward gesture. To my surprise, he didn’t avoid my touch. I stole another glance at Violet. She was biting her lips, her hands clenched into fists, and her eyes plastered on our hands—a clear indication of her displeasure. This made me secretly smile, knowing that I’d successfully pissed the shit out of her. “It seems like I’m going to have to get to know your friends better,” Edmund answered. He even stroked my cheek, almost making me shiver in disgust. What the freak? This wasn’t the man I knew. The Edmund Grant I married was an indifferent human being who saw me solely as a gold-digger, a desperate wife, a pretentious clown. Most importantly, he detested physical contact. Who was this clone, and where did he hide that cheating prick? Or was this one also his minion? I scoffed inw

The incident by the river convinced me to take a break from the tedious and pretentious city life. After the much-needed venting of my heartbreak and frustration, I booked the next flight back to Westingwood—the small town where Raven and I grew up—and entrusted Macy with the final stages of the renovations for my home. I was a withering rock. The pain and disappointments I was feeling that filled the crevices were trying to keep me in this fragile form. But I have learned to acknowledge and accept my own rough and imperfect edges. So, I did— Going away to experience new things and meeting new people have yielded good results on my end—both psychological and emotional. Some people may label it as cowardly to run and avoid the inevitable, but I've always believed that stepping back from a losing fight was an act of self-respect and self-preservation. Over the past six months, I've dedicated my time to securing sponsors for the Westingwood Orphanage in partnership with the charity fo

“Stop it!” I yelled at the top of my lungs. I tried to get in between the brawl but Zayn managed to pull me away from the fighting men. “They’ll stop when they’re exhausted,” Zayn stated, wincing as he watched his best friend beating my brother like a punching bag. “Edmund!! Stop it!” I shouted again. Panic rose to my throat when I caught a glimpse of Raven’s bleeding nose. He may have been an athlete and had a fair share of fistfights with his fellow players back in the day, but he was not a trained fighter. Edmund, on the other hand, was a black belt holder in both karate and taekwondo. He even boxed whenever he had the spare time. Undoubtedly, he could easily beat my brother to death if he were to get serious. “He’s drunk. Nobody can stop him,” Zayn mumbled, heaving a deep sigh. “Don’t worry, he’s not going to murder your man.” My face contorted into a deep scowl. I jerked away from Zayn and ran closer to the fighting duo. Never in my whole life had I imagined that I would ha

“I’ve worked with a lot of wealthy women in the past and most of them got an attitude, but Ms Wyatt takes the cake. Did you see her face when Mr Radcliffe firmly dismissed her?” Macy ranted in between small chuckles as she chewed on her Fiorentina steak. We were at my favorite Italian restaurant in the city, enjoying dinner while she chattered away, expressing her displeasure about the ugly encounter. And just like her, I was impressed with how Mr Radcliffe managed to drive that little whining princess away with only a few words. If the old man had not stepped in, I’m certain Lara would have continued harassing the saleslady and might even have gone physical like she had done in the past. “Lara has been spoiled all her life. The incident must have been a blow to her ego,” I answered with a silly grin playing in the corner of my lips. Macy paused. She opened and closed her mouth, but no words left them. Her eyes gradually widened as her attention was drawn to something behind me.

I spent the next two weeks redecorating the home Raven had gotten for me. With the help of the city's finest designer, Macy Partridge, the theme I had in mind gradually came to life—a regency motif in varied shades of blue, gold, and beige, precisely like the Bridgerton's common room. I've been doing anything and everything that could use up all my spare energy these days. From having meetings with Macy, shopping for necessities, learning to cook new dishes, and even overhauling my wardrobe—I did it all. There were several afternoons when I had gone to old bookstores to collect some books I’d been wanting to read when I was younger. Now that I wasn't required to show up to parties as Edmund's arm candy, I'd have all the time in the world to drown myself in those pages. Unfortunately, there were still those fleeting moments when recollections from my stay at Grant's estate would keep popping back into my mind, causing my mood to drop dramatically. But I never let it bog me. So inst

Two weeks had passed after my staged ‘accident,’ and I was discharged from the hospital with a divorce certificate in hand. When Raven’s lawyer appeared with the divorce agreement, Edmund had no choice but to scribble his signature, seeing my seriousness in the matter. The procedure went smoothly since both parties were determined to go through the process. I hobbled toward the parking area with Mrs Winfrey. Disappointment was written all over her face as she opened the car door for me. “My dear, I can’t believe he’d really let go of you like this.” My lips formed into a cynical smile. “This is nothing, Mrs Winfrey. It’s about time for us to go on separate ways, anyway.” “But you are still unwell! How about you stay home until you are fully healed, Maggie? I’m sure Edmund wouldn’t mind,” she proposed somberly. I smiled and shook my head. “I would love to stay with you. But I can’t. Edmund and I are nothing but strangers now. I can’t be living under the same roof anymore. You know