Novels by Meghan Writes

CHAPTER EIGHT The next few weeks moved with unexpected grace. Work was steady, the Bluezone project was gaining momentum, and Ariana found herself waking up with more ease and less dread. The weight she’d been carrying for years had begun to lift, slowly but surely. And Greg? Greg had become a constant. He didn’t push. He didn’t pry. He simply showed up. With coffee. With encouragement. With genuine, quiet affection that didn’t demand anything in return. Their dinners turned into walks, which turned into long phone calls at night. Sometimes they didn’t even talk—just shared silence, laughter, and stories about the most mundane things. Ariana found herself looking forward to those moments more than she’d ever admit out loud. Still, there was a wall inside her she hadn’t fully torn down. A part of her that remained guarded, cautious. She wanted to believe in Greg. She wanted to believe she could be happy again. But something about peace made her suspicious. Like it was

The week passed in a blur. Meetings. Deadlines. Quick lunches at her desk. Ariana kept herself busy, partly out of necessity, partly as a distraction. It was easier to stay in control when her schedule allowed no space for thinking. But the nights were harder. At night, the silence crept in like fog under a door—soft, quiet, and impossible to ignore. Her apartment felt too still, her bed too big. She would lie awake, replaying the moment Ryan stepped into her office, over and over again. His face. His voice. The nerve of him to act like time hadn’t changed anything. She didn’t cry anymore. Not because she wasn’t hurt—but because the sadness had become a dull ache, like an old injury that flares up only when it rains. ⸻ Friday morning came too quickly, and with it, the final stages of the Bluezone proposal. Ariana had barely stepped out of the elevator when she noticed Greg waiting near the entrance to her floor, holding two coffees. “For you,” he said, handing her the cup witho

CHAPTER SEVENThe week passed in a blur. Meetings. Deadlines. Quick lunches at her desk. Ariana kept herself busy, partly out of necessity, partly as a distraction. It was easier to stay in control when her schedule allowed no space for thinking.But the nights were harder.At night, the silence crept in like fog under a door—soft, quiet, and impossible to ignore. Her apartment felt too still, her bed too big. She would lie awake, replaying the moment Ryan stepped into her office, over and over again. His face. His voice. The nerve of him to act like time hadn’t changed anything.She didn’t cry anymore. Not because she wasn’t hurt—but because the sadness had become a dull ache, like an old injury that flares up only when it rains.⸻Friday morning came too quickly, and with it, the final stages of the Bluezone proposal. Ariana had barely stepped out of the elevator when she noticed Greg waiting near the entrance to her floor, holding two coffees.“For you,” he said, handing her the cu

CHAPTER SIXAriana let out a long, tired breath as the door clicked shut behind Ryan. It was as if the air had been sucked from the room, and only now, with him gone, could she breathe again. Her chest ached, her throat tight with unspoken rage and heartbreak. She had spent so long burying those memories, convincing herself she had moved on. But the moment she saw him again, it all came rushing back—like a tidal wave she hadn’t been prepared for.Greg leaned against the edge of her desk, his expression unreadable. “So… that was Ryan?”Ariana nodded, her eyes fixed on the floor. “Unfortunately.”Greg said nothing for a moment. The silence between them wasn’t awkward—it was tense, thick with unsaid things. Finally, he spoke. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. That didn’t look easy.”“It wasn’t.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.She walked to the window, arms crossed tightly over her chest, watching the traffic move along the street below. The city was alive and bustling, indiff

Ariana drove to work with her foot heavy on the gas pedal, cursing under her breath for having woken up late. She had stayed up late finishing some work tasks and now was regretting it. It really was not like her to oversleep, she blamed it on the wine from last night. Just two glasses, she thought, but apparently enough to completely disrupt her morning routine.Ariana burst into the office and nearly ran Emily over in the hall. "Is Greg here yet?" Ariana huffed, still breathing hard."Not yet. But there's someone waiting in your office-one of the guys from Bluezone," Emily said. "Why are you late?""I overslept. You should've seen me racing here," Ariana said, shaking her head in disbelief."Well, he's been waiting for over 30 minutes. Just get in there, we'll catch up later." Emily said, ushering her forward.Ariana flung open the door to her office in a rush. "Good morning! I'm so sorry for the wait—" she began, but her feet stopped working and her words froze in her throat as she

Chapter FIVE "He did what?" Sarah sat up straight, her eyes wide in disbelief. "Emily, what's going on here? It looks to me like you two have left me behind. Make me understand, please."Emily burst out laughing as her eyes sparkled with mirth, they both turned to Ariana, who was too exhausted to talk. Ariana reached for her glass of wine and took a long sip, hoping they would let it go.Hello? You're not going to say anything?" Sarah pressed, curious."What else do you want me to say?" Ariana sighed, already exhausted by the retelling of her day."And what did you tell us?" Emily teased. "I think I missed that part. Come again?""Are you being serious right now?" Ariana raised a brow, eyeing her friend skeptically."I want to hear it again too, please." Sarah chimed in, her laughter bubbling out.Ariana shook her head in disbelief. "You girls!" She couldn't help but burst into a smile. "All right, all right. He came to my office as soon as you left, Emily. I swear, I was so muddled