Zara Foster couldn't be happier. She's graduated from Law school, gotten her first job, bought her first apartment and the love of her life, her boyfriend Alexander has just proposed. Everything seems to be perfect when Alex's best friend Heather moves back into town. With her boundaries repeatedly ignored and her fiance's attention elsewhere Zara has to decide if her relationship is worth fighting for or if walking away with her head high and her dignity intact is the best thing for her future.

Is it better to live in a beautiful lie or the ugly truth? I'm not so sure anymore. Not now after finding myself on the other side of beautiful lies. There was a time I thought I was the one - HIS one. Turns out, I'm only second . . . . . . to her. For readers: *I will update as I please. Don't be rude about it. Thank you. *I do my best to proofread before publishing, but some typos and errors will slip through. Feel free to point them out! *Comments, active engagement, and helpful critiques are welcomed. *Mean, unnecessary comments that attack me, personally, or other commenters will be ignored and deleted. *I'm not a spicey writer. I rather use my word count for plot, character development, and GROVEL!!! *Most importantly, I hope you enjoy the little world I'm creating.

He didn't understand love. She never believed she deserved it. Ronan Brennan has made his choice: build a life that's honest, build a business with meaning, and build a family he can protect-with everything he has. Love? That's off the table. He doesn't need it. He just needs someone to walk beside him. Meera Pandey has spent her life fading into the background-until the day she became the only safe space for a little girl who stopped trusting the world. Now, all Meera wants is to hold on to the one person who feels like home... even if the world doesn't make it easy. He sees strength in her silence. She sees gentleness in his storm. A quiet friendship. An unexpected offer. And a chance to build something real-from the ruins. Set in the world of The Placeholder, The Caretaker is a heart-achingly tender story of fragile beginnings, found family, and a love that doesn't come loud-but stays for good.

Aiden ended our engagement because he felt I wasn't doing what was expected of me. He was about to sign a big contract with a famous soccer team and the wives of the other players started badmouthing me, saying I was provoking and insulting them. He came home one day and ended our engagement and I accepted it without arguing. He was outraged by my attitude. What did he expect me to say?

She had his heart, his future, and the kind of love people envy. But when the girl from his past reappears armed with old memories and a too-familiar smile. Everything begins to shift. Loyalties blur, trust fractures, and the life she thought was unshakable slowly begins to slip away.

𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭. 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐈'𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞. LILLIE SOMMERS thought love would protect her. That Grayson Sterling-the man who made her feel seen-would stand by her side when it mattered most. But when the laughter in the boardroom got too loud, he said nothing. When they humiliated her, he looked away. And when she broke... she broke alone. Now she's done playing the girl who waits. She's taking her power back-piece by painful piece. And if Grayson wants her forgiveness, he'll have to crawl for it. 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐬𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐇𝐞 𝐢𝐬. GRAYSON STERLING had everything-status, control, and the quiet belief that Lillie would always be his. But it took losing her to realize he never really had her at all. Now he's haunted by the echo of her silence, obsessed with the fire in her eyes, and desperate to prove he's still the man she once loved... or at least the man he should have been. 𝐀 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰-𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧, 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐰 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐭, 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. For fans of broken boys, unbreakable girls, and second chances that burn before they heal.

The complete book is only available on Kindle and can be found at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FS181BKW/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=2C1BY8TCDSU9G&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.UYq_PSgfmkivAIc6YRMNNQ.bASV0Mjw-veYDv83E4xEEOQOz5ORQXBkqztBnt-J9BM&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+gathered+fragments+of+us&qid=1758560347&s=books&sprefix=the+gathered+fragments+of+us%2Cbooks%2C46&sr=1-1 I will keep some of the early chapters here live, but the conclusion, changes to story line, and additions will only be available to read through Kindle once published. Until then, happy reading! 🥰 Felicity Barrett thought she had everything: a marriage to a man she loved and a beautiful future. But when years of neglect and unspoken grief collide with her husband's devastating mistake, everything begins to crumble. Caden Barrett has always been the fixer-at work, at home, and in his marriage. But some things can't be solved with late-night apologies or expensive gifts. To win back Felicity's trust, he'll have to face his failures, fight for their future, and learn what it truly means to not only love his wife, but to show that love. Together, they must navigate family turmoil, betrayal, and the painful echoes of the past. Through chaos, heartbreak, and unexpected joys, Felicity and Caden discover that love isn't about perfection-it's about persistence, forgiveness, and choosing each other again and again. This is a story of brokenness and healing, of second chances and the quiet work of love. It is a novel that explores modern marriage, blended families, and courage while asking: when everything shatters, can love be rebuilt stronger than before?

Two maids were cleaning a vast chamber when the younger maid asked the older one, "Didisa, you have been working in the palace for two decades right. Please tell me why are we cleaning this already clean chamber?". The older one smiled and said, "Although this chamber is always kept clean, it should be cleaned before anyone can reside here. And above all, our Ranisa is coming back to the palace". The younger maid didn't seem to accept it as a good news and said, "Whoever may come, but they cannot become equal to our choti Ranisa. She is the most kind, generous and sweetest person I have ever seen. She had never gotten angry on any maids even if they make mistakes. Take my example, I have made such a blunder on my first day here, but choti Ranisa accepted me as her own maid. Who can match her in kindness or even sword fight? And moreover she is Ranasa's heart beat". The old maid sighed and said, "Our Ranisa may not hold the heart of Ranasa. She may not be well versed in sword fight. But there is a reason why she is still our Ranisa. Sometimes one may have to be harsh to deliver justice and not just compromise between the victim and the tormentor. The people should have some fear about getting punished if they do wrong. And that charisma is with our Ranisa". ----------------------------------------------------------- A young girl of 17 years, looked at the retreating back of her newly married husband with a sad face. Just then her brother-in-law seated beside her husband's empty seat said, "Why are you sad, Bhabhisa?". She replied, "It's Nothing devarsa". He glanced back at his bhabhisa one more time and thought, "I don't know when bhaisa will open up with bhabhisa about his heart. She thinks that he is not fond of her. But how would one explain, why he ate the saltless food without a complaint and glared at me to keep my mouth shut. Unless it is for his beloved wife".

"He was assigned to protect me-but somewhere between the bullets and betrayals, he became my greatest danger."

On her wedding day, Evelyn's perfect world crumbled in an instant when a woman walked in, took the microphone, and made a toast. But it wasn't a heartfelt speech about love, no, it was a dark confession. "I'm pregnant with your child," the woman said, looking directly at Evelyn's husband, Caleb Prescott. In that moment, everything Evelyn thought she knew about her marriage shattered. The man she thought would always be hers, was the father of another child?