Novels by Maria-Grace

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

ISABELLA GARCIAI pulled Ethan close until his shoulders pressed against my waist and his head leaned in toward me.“Get in the car, baby,” I said to Ethan.Enzo stood behind the couch, his forehead and cheeks sprouting red.He was holding himself together, barely keeping from lashing out.All morning, I’d been pushing him to the edge.I kissed the top of Ethan’s head before sending him off. Enzo’s eyes burned into the floor.As soon as the door shut behind me, Enzo stepped forward.Ethan wasn’t here anymore.“What do you want?” Enzo asked.“To take my son for a check-up without looking over my shoulder,” I said, keeping my tone flat.Enzo wasn’t impressed. He still had plenty to say.His frown stayed in place, and the fist he had made with his left hand wasn’t letting up.“You want to protect your child,” Enzo said, letting it hang somewhere between a question and a statement.“I do,” I replied.I tucked my bag under my right arm and folded my hands around my torso.“Then let me driv

CLEO GARCIA I remembered last night and all the places we had to be at. I recalled the wine, the large amounts of money, and the moving streetlights. Marco had put me to bed but now it was Isa walking around my room. Isa moved from the table to the bed. She paid me no mind. She didn’t know I was awake. I laid still on the bed, watching her move things around. I tried to blink and move my head. When there wasn't any sharp pain, I sighed in relief and swallowed. My throat was dry land and it hurt to roll things down it. I had to clear it noisily. Isa turned at that. “I thought I would have to carry you down the stairs and into the car,” Isa said, smiling softly. Her forehead was bare as she had pushed her head into a high ponytail. Her outfit was casual and simple, a stretch away from what she’d been wearing last night. It had to be morning. But if it was, where was Marco? Marco was meant to be here. He spent the night in my chair. I knew this because he’d woken

MARCO MARTINSCleo almost tripped in her heels, tipsy and unsteady.I caught her just in time, preventing the disaster from happening."Thank you," Cleo said, touching the side of her head. "I don’t feel good," she muttered against my hands."We’re almost there," I reassured Cleo.We had made it up the elevator. and Cleo siged against me as the staticelevator sound rang out. Carefully, I guided her to her room.Cleo had performed really well today. I could hardly believe how much fun we’d had.If Cruz hadn’t been a dick, the night would have been perfect for me."Fuck, are we there yet?" Cleo asked, her voice more strained.I looked at her for a moment. Sweat was breaking out across her forehead. She pressed her lips into a thin line and wrapped her arms around my neck.Leaning her head against me, she closed her eyes.I pressed the back of my hand to her neck—it was slightly warm."Almost there," I told her, picking up the pace.It was four in the morning.The night had been packed wi

ENZO MORETTII got upstairs, washed my face and towel-dried it. A knock sounded at the door. I went to open it, thinking it was Isa, but it wasn’t her."Room service?" the lady and gentleman announced with cordial smiles."You ordered breakfast for two," the lady said.I remembered. I stepped aside and let them bring the food inside. As they were leaving, Isa appeared behind them.They exchanged polite greetings before she stepped in. The door was bolted, and I headed straight to the medium-sized breakfast table to eat.Isa walked over. For a second, I thought she was going to sit with me, but she only checked her food, picked it up, and went to the dresser.That was where she preferred to eat. At least six inches away from me."You only ever talk about Cleo. I didn’t even know you had a mum," I said, making a move to break the ice between us.The tension in the air was heavier than anything I had experienced.The truth was, my brain wasn’t ready for this conversation.We were meeting

ISABELLA gARCIAJust like the rest of the attendings, we made our way to the next room. This one had a more intentionally designed space.It resembled a sports field. The chairs were arranged around the stage, and an elevated surface stood in the middle of the hall with a pulpit-like structure set up nearby.A new host took the mic, tapping it lightly as people moved around the space. Enzo and I led the way and sat on one of the high-back seats.I didn’t understand why the seats were so much compared to the attendings in the hall. There were plenty of people before, but as we had moved to the next room, which was much larger, the gaps between groups became even more noticeable. It was like evryone didn't join us to the bidding room. Empty seats remained unattended to while people moved in small groups of twos and fours. We sat down, and a tray of champagne was served to us almost immediately. The staff moved quickly, acting as if they weren’t there, slipping through the empty spaces

ISABELLA GARCIA “Did you mean what you said last night?” Enzo asked as soon as he killed the engine. He had an event to attend and had asked me to come with him. He asked a week ago, and I promised I would go. After everything that had happened yesterday, I wished I could back out, but I had given him my word. My presence in his life had disrupted things for him, no matter how humble he was about it. The least I could do was try to fix what I could while I was still here. But I knew we were finally going to have this conversation about what I said. With Bobby’s situation, there was no time last night. He was doing better now, thank God. Still in recovery though which was why Enzo was driving. He didn't want to give his job to any other person. I think he didn't trust any other person. “Going to my mum’s? Yes. I meant it, and I’m sure you understand why. Ethan… he can’t handle something like that, physically or mentally,” I said all at once. I was in the passenger seat, wearing

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

CAROLINE MORALES “Honey, would you help me grab my shirt from the bed?” Jo asked from across the room. He was rummaging through the drawers, shoving things aside in frustration. Each cupboard he opened turned up empty, and his irritation grew with every second. “What are you looking for?” I asked as I reached the bed. I'd showered some minutes ago and just changed into my nightwear. We had a movie to watch tonight. The TV was set up and the drinks were downstairs. Jo’s back was to me, but the tension in his shoulder was clear. “A client’s card,” Jo muttered. He spared me a glance and it didn’t feel like it was a mere client’s card he was looking for. It wasn’t the time to push him, so I focused on helping. His clothes were scattered across the bed, something I hated. I was a neat freak, and Jo wasn’t. I had always known it from the nights we spent together, but it hadn’t been this obvious until the boat cruise. And now I was living with him. I picked up his jacket a

SABRINA MORALESNext, you have dinner with Alex, and you can call it a day,” Violet said as she walked around the stool. I was looking at the computer when she spoke. My hands froze over the keyboard. I was too stunned even to say anything.I had a date with Alex?! “Take this too,” Violet was saying as she gestured to stool. We’d just finished the artist shoot with Suzie’s artist, Bella. I thought I was done for the day but Violet told me that I wasn't. “A date with Alex,” I echoed slowly, as if saying it out loud would help me process it I had to remember to be normal about it. I've not been able to bring myself to tell Violet or anybody. I wasn't ready. Maybe it was time for me to tell her before she fixed my wedding without my knowledge. Violet turned away from the ruckus. We were packing up and cleaning the studio after the day’s work. There were lots of glitter on the floor, some CDs, posters… There was a little bit of everything. “Yeah. I sent you an email and a remi

BLAZE WILLIAMSMum had been on my neck about when I was returning home. I eventually told her.Imagine my surprise when I saw Marcy waiting for me. It wasn't hard to spot her in their crowd of people. The one person in the crowd who had a strand of her hair dyed white was Marcy.The person who locked eyes with me smiled with her teeth, and waved at me was Marcy.The person I least expected was Marcy and she was right here, pretending this was normal.Marcy could star in her imagination, but I wouldn't fuel it for her.I walked up to her out of courtesy.We used to be something more than friends. I owed it to her to be cordial.“I don’t think you’re here for me,” I started, holding my hands together at my front. “So who are you here for?” I looked around for a moment. I was looking for someone who would be recognizable too. Maybe one of Marcy’s friends. It could even be her boyfriend.Though I had not heard about her being with anyone yet.“You,” Marcy said. “Come here,” She pulled

BLAZE WILLIAMS I stayed back at Night Park because I wanted to stop thinking about Sabrina. She was invading my entire life. Sabrina was going to be my sister. We were also spending nights together and getting to know each other. I had to put a pause on that cause it was getting scary. Two days later I was booking a flight back to Miami. “Tickets, please?” The airport lady asked me. She was smiling cordially, her hair as neat as her outfit. I shook my head. I was attempting to clear the thoughts in them. I gave her the ticket. The lady looked at my credentials. She paused looking at her computer screen to give me a brief stare. In a bright but quiet voice, she said. “Your flight leaves in thirty minutes. You can wait in the lobby.” I got handed back my ticket. I had my duffel bag hanging from my shoulders. It was almost eight in the morning. I spent the previous night working and staying up with a bottle of champagne. My hotel room had never felt

SABRINA MORALES “Our bride-to-be is back!” One of my staff chorused and the rest of them started clapping and cheering. I stood at the door of my studio, heart pounding both in fear and painful nostalgia. I couldn't bring myself to take a step in. I had regretted a lot of things in life, but pnothing hurt me like lying to Violet. I was so close to banging my head on a call in a show of painful regret. Violet walked up to me. Her lips were stretched fully, eyes shining with pure joy. “Welcome back, Sabrina,” Violet said and hugged me. I had two options. To tell them the truth and destroy their view of Alex. That would bring this entire celebration to the most abrupt end. Or, I could play cool. I could take the congratulations and keep it moving. I had kept the truth from them all through the Christmas holiday. What could a little more time of avoiding the truth do? It wasn't like I was lying. I was only not telling the truth. Yet. “Thank you, Violet,”

JOSEPH WILLIAMS My fiance called me for the third time that afternoon, while I was having lunch with my ex-wife. And I thought of busying the call yet again. “Maybe you should take that. Whoever it is can't seem to get the memo,” Leticia said. Her eyes slid across the phone, then she looked up, smirking. I ignored Leti. This was how she was. She intruded on people’s personal lives. Leti might think she knew who it was but she didn't. She would never guess right. I got up, taking my phone into my hands. “Let me use the restroom,” I said and excused myself. Leticia Miller, my ex-wife and mother to my son, had been blowing up my line all through the trip. She had called, texted, and even emailed. In her words, she deserved to know what step I was taking in my life because we shared a son. “Baby, how are you doing?” I talked softly as soon as I was in the restroom. I stopped at the sink and stood in front of the mirror. Staring but not quite looking. “A