
OUR NEW BEGINNING
Thalimaedaalicia · Ongoing · 84.9k Words
Introduction
Until the day she left.
Determined to start afresh, far from everything that hurt her, Olivia decides to leave the past behind. But some ties cannot be severed so easily.
Months later, an unexpected reunion brings the two face to face once more — and Brian realises, too late, that he has lost far more than he ever imagined.
Now, amidst hurt, secrets, and feelings that never truly faded, they must discover whether the love they destroyed in the past is still strong enough to deserve a second chance.
Because some stories end.
Others simply wait for the right moment to begin again.
Chapter 1
A YEAR AGO…
POV OLIVIA
I finished fixing little Laura’s hair, my best friend’s daughter, and she smiled at me with that sweet little expression that always made my heart soften.
Her brown strands were tied into two perfect pigtails, and she slowly twirled in front of me like she was on a runway.
“Do I look pretty, Aunt Olivia?”
The question came loaded with expectation, her huge eyes shining as she held the hem of her little dress.
My chest tightened.
Because children were like that… pure. Simple. Unlike adults, who turned everything into chaos.
I forced a genuine smile despite the storm inside me.
“You look beautiful, princess.”
She flashed a wide smile, turning her cheeks red.
“Like a real princess?”
“Even prettier.”
Laura held tightly onto my hand and got up from the couch.
“Can we have breakfast? I’m hungry…”
I forced another smile and nodded.
But the truth was, I had been avoiding going into the kitchen because I knew Brian was there.
And things between us were… strange.
No. Not strange.
Worn out.
Heavy.
Exhausting.
Last night’s argument still burned inside me, along with the image of him sulking because I had been talking to another man on my phone. As if he had any right over me.
As if I belonged to him.
And maybe that was exactly the problem.
Brian had never truly made me his.
Never truly chosen me.
But he also could never stand the idea of losing me.
I walked with Laura down the hallway, listening to our soft footsteps against the wooden floor until we got close to the kitchen. Before I even stepped inside, the voices became clearer.
“You don’t even look like someone who slept in the same room as Olivia,” I heard Julia, my best friend, tease her brother.
Brian let out a humorless laugh.
Dry.
Irritated.
“We slept. That’s all. Can you believe she was talking to another guy while I was in the room?”
I rolled my eyes automatically.
Of course.
Because everything always ended up revolving around his wounded ego.
I took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen with Laura still holding my hand.
“Declaring your love for me this early, huh, sweetheart?” I teased.
Brian immediately turned toward me.
And it felt like being struck by lightning.
His eyes darkened instantly.
His jaw tightened.
His hand gripped the coffee mug hard.
“Olivia, seriously? Don’t talk to me today. I don’t even want to look at your face.”
My chest tightened violently.
Even after all these years, he could still get to me like that.
Still make my heart ache with just a few words.
But I held his gaze.
Because I was tired of lowering my head.
“Are you upset?”
Laura let go of my hand and ran toward her father, completely unaware of the heavy atmosphere in the kitchen.
Brian ran a hand through his hair in irritation.
“I don’t care about you,” he answered too quickly. “I just want you to leave me the fuck alone.”
Lie.
Brian never left me alone.
Never.
And maybe that was our biggest problem.
Because he never truly wanted me… but he also could never stand the thought of losing me.
Could never stand imagining another man touching me.
Another man was stepping into the space he insisted on leaving empty.
I felt irritation grow inside me, burning hotter.
“You’re unbelievable,” I said. “Years go by and you still act like a spoiled teenager. Even your nephews are more mature than you.”
The entire room fell silent.
Brian slowly stood up from the chair.
Too slow.
Like he was trying to control his own anger.
“Say that again.”
His low tone was far worse than shouting.
Julia immediately stepped between us.
“That’s enough, both of you. For God’s sake. Laura is right here watching all this. Let’s just have breakfast in peace.”
The silence turned heavy.
Suffocating.
Laura looked from one to the other without understanding anything, hugging her father’s leg.
Brian let out an irritated breath, grabbed his car keys from the counter, and walked past me.
On purpose, he slammed his shoulder into mine.
Hard enough to make me lose my balance slightly.
“I’m not hungry.”
The door slammed seconds later.
The sound echoed through the entire house.
And I felt my eyes burn instantly.
Damn it.
Not again.
Always again.
Always the same damned cycle.
Fights.
Jealousy.
Distance.
Then apologies.
Then relapses.
Then the pain all over again.
“Friend…” Julia approached slowly.
I immediately shook my head, trying to hold back my tears.
“No, friend, it’s okay. Your brother is an idiot!”
My voice cracked at the end.
I sat down in the exact chair Brian had been sitting in minutes earlier.
His cologne still lingered there.
That made everything worse.
I sighed tiredly, feeling my chest tighten harder, and this time I couldn’t hold back the tears.
They fell silently at first.
Then faster.
“I’m sorry for ruining breakfast…”
“Olivia…” Julia pulled a chair beside me and gently held my hand. “Do you want to talk about it?”
I sighed deeply.
I did.
I really did.
Because keeping all of that inside me was slowly destroying me.
But it was hard.
Hard to vent about the man I loved when he was my best friend’s brother.
Even so, I was too exhausted to pretend everything was okay anymore.
“You know… sometimes we think it’s easy to just let things slide, pretend nothing happened. But it’s not.” My voice came out low. “Your brother and I have been stuck in this mess for years… he doesn’t want anything serious, but he keeps me trapped…”
Julia frowned.
“What do you mean, trapped?”
I let out a bitter laugh.
“He calls me when he wants to, then ignores me. He gives me hope that we could actually have something… and then discards me. If I start talking to someone else, he ruins everything. He wants to fight any guy who gets close to me. Makes threats. Loses his mind. He doesn’t want to be with me… but he also won’t leave me alone. I’m tired of this.”
As I spoke, I realized how absurd it sounded out loud.
How used I had become to crumbs.
“That’s cruel, friend…” Julia said softly. “You deserve so much more than this back-and-forth that only hurts you.”
I swallowed hard.
“And the worst part is that he knows I love him. He knows. And he takes advantage of it. Whenever he sees me moving on, he comes back all sweet, says he misses me, that he cares about me… and then I come back too. I always come back.”
My voice broke at the end.
Because that was the most humiliating truth of all.
I always came back.
No matter how many times Brian hurt me.
No matter how many times I promised myself things would be different.
All it took was him showing vulnerability… and I fell apart.
“I know.” Julia squeezed my hand affectionately. “And I’m not going to judge you for it. Sometimes the heart screams louder than reason. But you need to protect yourself, Liv. What Brian does isn’t love. It’s an attachment. And when attachment turns into control, it becomes a prison.”
Her words hit me hard.
Prison.
That was exactly how I felt.
Trapped by someone who never decided to stay.
“I keep wondering if one day he’ll change,” I confessed quietly. “If one day he’ll realize I’m the right person for him…”
I felt embarrassed immediately after saying that.
Because it sounded ridiculous to still have hope.
Julia looked at me with so much affection I almost cried again.
“Maybe one day he will realize it, Olivia. But that day has to come from him. Not from you erasing yourself. You can’t stand still waiting for him to wake up. Because while you do, your life passes by. Your feelings turn into wounds. And you lose pieces of yourself trying to fit into the little space he gives you.”
I closed my eyes for a second.
That hurt because it was true.
I had completely lost myself trying to be enough for someone emotionally unavailable.
“And what if I can’t walk away?”
“Then I’ll remind you every single day of the incredible woman you are,” she answered firmly. “I’ll pull you back every time you forget. But you will get through this, friend. It’ll hurt at first. It’ll feel impossible. But true freedom comes when we choose ourselves.”
Tears slid silently down my face.
“I’m tired of being Brian’s emotional crutch, Julia.”
“Then enough. Because you’re nobody’s toy. You’re a whole woman. Beautiful. Intelligent. Caring. And you deserve someone who stays without making you beg for it. You deserve someone who chooses you without making you bleed every time they leave.”
That completely shattered me.
I gave her a weak smile and pulled my best friend into a tight hug.
We stayed silent for a few seconds.
Just breathing.
Just existing.
And for the first time in a very long time… I felt comfort instead of guilt.
“Thank you, friend. Really.” I pulled away to look into her eyes. “No one has ever said those things to me the way you do. Without judging me.”
“Because I’m here to remind you what you deserve. To remind you of who you are, if I have to.”
I took a deep breath.
For the first time in years, I felt something different inside me.
Courage.
“It’s decided. Today I’m putting an end to this.”
(…)
For the first time in a very long time, I felt like I needed to do something for myself.
Not for others.
Not for Brian.
For me.
My heart still hurts.
His words.
The cold look in his eyes.
The way he always came back… and then disappeared again.
All of it was eating me alive inside.
And the worst part was knowing that even while suffering, even while feeling used and discarded, I always ended up giving in.
But enough.
Something changed today.
The conversation with Julia painfully opened my eyes.
Without judgment.
Without calling me stupid.
Without throwing all the times I went back to him in my face.
She simply showed me how much I had lost myself inside a relationship that had never truly existed.
How much I had diminished myself trying to be enough for a man who didn’t even know what he wanted from his own life.
I loved Brian.
That was a fact.
I had loved him forever.
We grew up together.
The best memories of my childhood had him in them.
And maybe that was exactly why it was so hard to let go.
Because loving Brian was like loving an entire part of my life.
But ever since the first time we got together — almost five years ago — I had completely surrendered myself.
My first love.
My first time.
My first heartbreak too.
And he always did the same thing.
He came back.
Made me believe.
Pulled me in.
Then left.
And then returned as if nothing had happened.
I was tired.
Tired of waiting.
Tired of accepting so little just because I loved too much.
I stood up from the chair with determination.
Washed my face.
Fixed my hair.
Took a deep breath.
I went to the room where I had left my purse and grabbed my phone.
There was a message from him.
“Sorry. We need to talk.”
I stared at those words on the screen.
How many times had he sent me that exact message before?
How many times had I rushed to answer full of hope, only to fall into the same abyss afterward?
No.
I needed to break free from that cycle.
I deserved more.
I went into the guest room — the same one Julia always kept ready for me whenever I slept there — and locked myself inside.
I needed silence.
I needed to breathe before the next storm.
A few minutes later, I heard knocking at the door.
My heart immediately started racing.
“Olivia?” Brian’s rough voice sounded from the other side. “Can we talk?”
I closed my eyes for a second.
Even hearing his voice hurt.
I approached the door without opening it.
Rested my forehead against the cold wood.
“Talk, Brian.”
“Open the door, please. I don’t like talking to a door.”
I let out a humorless laugh.
“I don’t like being screamed at in front of everyone either, but that never stopped you, did it?”
Silence.
Heavy.
Then I heard his breathing on the other side.
“I was wrong, okay? I lost my temper. I… I was jealous.”
I rolled my eyes, feeling a mix of anger and exhaustion.
“You’re always jealous, Brian. Jealous of everything. Even things that aren’t yours.”
“You are mine.”
My heart stumbled inside my chest.
Damn it.
That was exactly how he did it.
Two words.
And my entire body trembled.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Not this time.
“No. I was never yours. Because you never truly made me yours.”
On the other side, he fell silent.
Then he hit the door with his hand.
“I don’t want you moving on!”
“That’s not love, Brian! That’s selfishness!” I exploded. “You don’t want me, but you also don’t want to let me live!”
The doorknob slowly turned.
My stomach dropped.
I had forgotten to lock it.
The door slowly opened, revealing Brian standing there.
Red eyes.
Messy hair.
Wrinkled black T-shirt.
And that devastated expression he always wore whenever he realized he might lose me.
For a second, my heart faltered.
Because I loved that man.
Loved him in a sick, unhealthy way.
But loving someone couldn’t keep destroying who I was.
“I know I messed up.” His voice cracked. “I know I’m an asshole. But I really care about you, Olivia. I just… I don’t know how to deal with everything I feel.”
I slowly shook my head, feeling my eyes burn.
“Then learn. Alone.”
He frowned as if he genuinely didn’t understand.
“What do you mean?”
I took a deep breath.
This hurt me more than it hurt him.
But it had to be done.
“I’m leaving, Brian. Today. Right now. I’m tired of being your emotional crutch. Your backup plan. I’m tired of living while waiting for you to choose me. Because I already chose myself. And you’re not part of my plans anymore.”
“You’re not being fair to me.”
That made me laugh.
But it was a bitter laugh.
Sad.
“Fair?” I repeated. “You looked for me when you were lonely. Disappeared when you found someone else. And I stayed here. Waiting. Suffering. Pretending everything was okay. Is that fair?”
My voice rose at the end.
Because years of bottled-up anger were finally spilling out.
I wanted to scream.
Wanted to hit him.
Wanted to make Brian feel half the pain I had felt all those years.
He lowered his head.
Stayed silent for a few seconds.
When he looked up again, there were tears in his eyes.
But for the first time, I didn’t feel the urge to run and comfort him.
“You changed.”
The words came out almost like an accusation.
I took a deep breath.
“No. I just woke up. And realized I deserve more than half-love. I want someone who stays. Who chooses me without hesitation. Who doesn’t make me feel like I’m never enough?”
“I’m that someone.”
My heart tightened.
Because a stupid part of me wanted to believe him.
Wanted to run into his arms.
Wanted to pretend this time would be different.
But I knew it wouldn’t be.
So I simply shook my head.
“Too late.”
I walked to the bed, grabbed my purse, and started throwing my things inside in a hurry.
Brian remained standing near the door.
Motionless.
As if he still expected me to change my mind.
But this time I wouldn’t.
I couldn’t.
“Julia’s going to hate me for this,” he murmured.
I slowly zipped my bag before looking at him.
“Julia’s going to hate you if you keep hurting me. My friendship with her will never change. She’s my soul sister. But you… I don’t want you in my life anymore. Enough. I’m done.”
I walked past him.
My entire body trembled.
Every step hurt.
But it also felt like freedom.
I found Julia in the hallway.
She looked at me for one second.
And understood everything.
No questions.
No words.
She just pulled me into a tight embrace.
Silent.
Pure support.
“Thank you,” I whispered. “For everything.”
She nodded, her eyes full of tears.
I walked downstairs slowly.
My heart heavy.
But steady.
Before opening the door, I heard Brian’s voice coming from upstairs.
Broken.
Desperate.
“Olivia…”
I closed my eyes for a second.
I didn’t look back.
Because if I did… maybe I would weaken.
And I couldn’t do that to myself anymore.
Not for him.
I opened the door.
The cold wind hit my face immediately.
I took a deep breath.
And walked toward the gate.
Today I chose myself.
And that was perhaps the hardest — and the rightest — decision of my life.
I just had no idea yet that this choice would change everything forever.
Last Chapters
#65 Chapter 65 A Chance
Last Updated: 8/23/2026#64 Chapter 64 The Mistake
Last Updated: 8/22/2026#63 Chapter 63 Your kisses...
Last Updated: 8/20/2026#62 Chapter 62 What We Started
Last Updated: 8/19/2026#61 Chapter 61 Between Reason and the Heart
Last Updated: 8/17/2026#60 Chapter 60 What she Said
Last Updated: 8/16/2026#59 Chapter 59 Do you really think Jake is your son?
Last Updated: 8/15/2026#58 Chapter 58 The Truth She Won’t Tell Me
Last Updated: 8/14/2026#57 Chapter 57 The Doubt
Last Updated: 8/13/2026#56 Chapter 56 The Question That Haunted Me
Last Updated: 8/13/2026
You Might Like 😍
Reborn: My Biased Brothers Beg Me To Come Back
She genuinely took in Regina, the butler's daughter, only to be constantly manipulated by this cunning and manipulative woman.
Regina gradually stole the love from her three brothers.
Arabella was forced to give Regina blood transfusions time and again, her weight plummeting to a mere eighty-eight pounds.
Ultimately, under the relentless pressure from her brothers, she jumped out of a window in despair and died. Her last words were,
"What about Regina's blood transfusions?"
When she opened her eyes again, Arabella found herself reborn three years earlier—the very day Regina appeared at her doorstep crying, begging for help.
Looking at the pitiful, tearful girl before her, Arabella smiled.
No more soft-heartedness.
No more groveling.
Instead, she "kindly" arranged for Regina to move into the servants' quarters, to earn her own living through honest labor.
Faced with her brothers who sided with her, she no longer bothered to please them.
And towards her former fiancé, Theodore, whom she had once fawned over, she remained cold, distant, and indifferent.
Moreover, in this life, they would discover that her identity was far more than just the eldest daughter of the Oberon family.
Pregnant by My Husband's Rival Alpha
Those words should have destroyed me, but the truth was worse: I'd been used as a broodmare by the man who swore to love me, set up in a hotel room with a stranger because My husband Alexander Cross couldn't father children himself, and now I carried the secret babies of Damon Lester—the most powerful and dangerous Alpha in San Loris—while my own family replaced me with the daughter they'd always wanted. But when that same stranger's doctor appeared at my door, when twenty million dollars exchanged hands over a fake perfume bearing my secret identity, and when Damon's gray eyes locked onto mine with recognition I couldn't afford, I realized my carefully hidden life as the legendary perfumer Vera was colliding with a pregnancy that could cost me everything.
Could I protect my babies from the husband plotting my death, hide my true identity from the Alpha who's been hunting me for years, and reclaim the freedom I'd buried along with my dreams—even if it means standing alone against the wolves who see me as nothing more than a womb to be used and discarded?
The Ice Between Us.
Then comes Jax Miller.
Jax is a hotheaded rookie with a lightning-fast puck and a reputation for burning bridges. He doesn't follow playbooks, he doesn't respect authority, and he’s determined to melt Julian’s icy composure. When a viral video of their on-ice collision threatens to bankrupt the program, Coach Clain delivers an ultimatum that feels like a death sentence: they must live together in a cramped, two-bed dorm for the duration of the season.
Forced to navigate the high-stakes world of sports fame, "forbidden" locker-room tension, and the mysterious blackmailer who caught their first mistake on camera, Julian and Jax must decide what’s more dangerous: losing their careers, or losing themselves to the person they were supposed to hate.
Tempted By The Enemy
She escapes to Preston Island to attend the wedding without informing him only to collide with Lucas’s hot, fiery and arrogant brother, the twenty-three-year-old, Nicholas Donnelly. Sparks immediately fly between them but Alyssa refuses to acknowledge them fearing her brother's wrath.
The wedding is over and Alyssa tries hard to forget the mysterious Nicholas Donnelly but can he forget her? Can he ignore the attraction he feels for her, feelings that have resurfaced after ten years?
What will Allyssa do when she is stalked by the man who has been invading her dreams since the day she met him? What will she do when she is whisked away to a deserted island by the unpredictable Nicholas Donnelly? Can she tame her heart or surrender to sinful temptations? Read to find out!
Part of the Temptation Series. Can be read as a standalone.
Cursed Fates
The Princess's Revenge
Alpha Logan is an illegitimate son whose mother disappeared when he was 10 years old. He grew up suffering from humiliation and lacking maternal love.
Alpha Logan saves Valencia at Marcus's funeral, which seems to be destined by fate—part of the Moon Goddess's grand plan.
As Valencia accidentally discovers prophecies in Logan's mother's diary that seem to be related to her, the truth gradually surfaces. Valencia appears to be merely a tool in a princess's revenge plot. How will Logan and Valencia navigate their path amid the national war and pack politics?
A PRINCESS IN DISGUISE; BOUND TO THE ENEMY KING
I fell to my knees, the cold marble digging into my skin. I had studied for years in the flickering candlelight, memorizing every herb and poison to pass the healer's exam. I wanted freedom. I wanted to save my mother from the servant's quarters. I placed second. I thought I had won my life back.
But the King didn't give me a badge of honor. He gave me a death sentence.
"Raven Thorne shall be wed to the King of Grok," he announced, his voice echoing in the silent hall. Princess Ellie, the woman who had tormented me for years, slapped her hands over her mouth to hide her cruel laughter. She was supposed to marry the Beast. Now, I was the lamb being sent to the slaughter in her place.
They say King Liam drinks the blood of his enemies. They say he is more monster than man. And now, I have to walk into his bedroom, wearing the Princess's silk gown, and pray he doesn't tear me apart.
I looked at the King, tears streaming down my face. "I'll do it," I whispered, my voice trembling. "But my mother must be safe."
I sold my body and soul to a monster to save her. But when the carriage door opened and I finally looked into the Beast's golden eyes, I realized the terrifying truth...
He wasn't a stranger. He was the man I met in the woods.
A Queen Among Darkness (Book 4 in the Gods' Saga)
For centuries, she has been on the run, helping the supernatural community under the cloak of anonymity while she works to clear her name and save the very people after her from destruction.
Enemies are closing in, but an unexpected complication befalls her when she realises she’s been fated to someone who wants her species exterminated. After all, an evil chance seldom comes alone.
A Queen Among Darkness is the 4th book in the Queen Among Series/The Gods' Saga. This is an interconnected series. To see how it ends, I recommend reading the full series.
Books in the series in order:
A Queen Among Alphas - Book 1
Bite-Size Luna - A Queen Among Alphas Prequel (available under book 1)
A Queen Among Snakes - Book 2
A Queen Among Blood - Book 3
A Queen Among Darkness - Book 4
Whole Again - A Queen Among Alpha's spin-off (available under book 1)
A Queen Among Tides - Book 5
Valor, Virtue, and Verve - Tides Prequel Spin-off (will be available under book 5)
A Queen Among Gods - Book 6
Runaway Empress - A Queen Among Snakes Prequel (will be available under book 2)
A Queen Among Tempests - Book 7
Dark Vocation - Darkness spin-off (will be available under book 4)
A Court of Arcane Souls Anthology (side character short stories exclusive to Ream)
Royal Shadow Series (Next Generation Coming Soon)
The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates
"Let me go," I whimper, my body trembling with need. "I don't want you touching me."
I fall forward onto the bed then turn around to stare at him. The dark tattoos of Domonic's chiseled shoulders, quiver and and expand with the heave of his chest. His deep dimpled smile is full of arrogance as he reaches behind himself to lock the door.
Biting his lip, he stalks toward me, his hand going to the seam of his pants and the thickening bulge there.
"Are you sure you don't want me to touch you?" He whispers, untying the knot and slipping a hand inside. "Because I swear to God, that is all I have been wanting to do. Every single day from the moment you stepped in our bar and I smelled your perfect flavor from across the room."
New to the world of shifters, Draven is human on the run. A beautiful girl who no one could protect. Domonic is the cold Alpha of the Red Wolf Pack. A brotherhood of twelve wolves that live by twelve rules. Rules which they vowed could NEVER be broken.
Especially - Rule Number One - No Mates
When Draven meets Domonic, he knows that she is his mate, but Draven has no idea what a mate is, only that she has fallen in love with a shifter. An Alpha that will break her heart to make her leave. Promising herself, she will never forgive him, she disappears.
But she doesn’t know about the child she’s carrying or that the moment she left, Domonic decided rules were made to be broken - and now will he ever find her again? Will she forgive him?
The Dark Witch & The Alpha Book 2
The vampire queen (Ambrosia) and Pythia will become close and discover the true origins of their pasts. They rely on each other when their mates are not around. New family is discovered and it is time they all come together to face one of the toughest moments in the dark witches history.
The Spy Who Left
"I still can't believe she actually did it. Aria Hart, filing for divorce. Who saw that coming?"
"How long do we think it'll take before she comes crawling back?" Another voice joins the conversation.
"Three days," Victoria declares. "Five at most. She has no money, no skills, no family. Where's she going to go?"
When Aria Chen divorced billionaire Leon Hart, New York's elite sneered, betting she'd crawl back within days. She never did.
Three years later, the world is rocked when Dr. Aria Vale, CEO of a revolutionary cybersecurity empire, steps into the spotlight. The mysterious genius who built a billion-dollar company from nothing is none other than Leon's discarded wife, the woman everyone thought was just a pretty ornament.
Now, every powerful man wants the queen Leon threw away a renowned scientist seeking partnership, a financial titan proposing an empire, and an actor offering devotion. Each sees the brilliance Leon ignored.
Then Leon discovers the truth: Aria's sacrifices, her secret double life, and the daughter she's been raising without him. For the first time, the man who once took her for granted must fight for her love. But can he compete with men who valued her from the beginning?
A story of love, betrayal, and power where the king must kneel before the queen who never needed saving.
Goddess Of The Underworld
When the veil between the Divine, the Living, and the Dead begins to crack, Envy is thrust beneath with a job she can’t drop: keep the worlds from bleeding together, shepherd the lost, and make ordinary into armour, breakfasts, bedtime, battle plans. Peace lasts exactly one lullaby. This is the story of an orphan pup who became a goddess by choosing her family; of four imperfect alphas learning how to be better. Steamy, fierce, and full of heart, Goddess of the Underworld is a reverse harem, found-family paranormal romance where love writes the rules and keeps three realms from falling apart.












