It Starts With Us Novels & Stories

Six years ago, my sister and I fell for the same man, Edmund. But he only had eyes for Rosalie, the sweet, innocent type. With them, I was always the third wheel. They got married, of course. And on their wedding day, I overheard my parents whispering. "The company's strapped for cash," my father said. "What if we marry Corinne off to our business partner? That'd solve our problem..." This "partner" was over fifty and twice divorced. So I ran. I fled to Sicily with the only five thousand dollars to my name. I ran on pure bitterness. In four years, I brought dozens of small-time Sicilian crews to heel and forged my own family: Vexille. In another two, I came back to New York and quietly became the most powerful woman in the North American underworld. By then, Edmund's power was crumbling, hit hard by a rival family. That's when my mother called, her voice full of that same old entitlement. "Your brother-in-law's in some trouble. Figure out a way to help him." Then a text from my sister, Rosalie, dripping with contempt: "Sister, I remember you have a little casino in Sicily, right? So you must know something about that Vexille family." "Edmund needs their help. See what you can dig up." They still don't know. I'm the Don of the Vexille family. I glanced at the schedule my advisor had prepared. Tomorrow, 9:00 AM. A sit-down with some minor family looking for a handout. The name on the file: Edmund.

When I'm having dinner at home, I find out that my childhood sweetheart, Drew Calloway, has given up on the opportunity to get promoted to the northern military camp for the sake of my cousin, Brynn Jeffries. "Brynn can only attend a local college because of her SAT results. It so happens that Mrs. Ward is in poor health as well. I've already filled in the details on your college form, Lena. We'll both stay here." My mom goes along with the flow. "That's right. I promised your uncle that I'd take good care of Brynn, so you must help me take care of her too. You should forget about Northgate University, seeing as it's useless to pursue an education there. When you marry Drew in the future, you'll be a military wife who stays in the military camp with him." Before I can say anything, Brynn's eyes well up with tears. She starts crying as though she's the one feeling aggrieved. "It's my fault for being useless. My parents are no longer around. Because of that, Lena can't attend her dream university. You should just leave me be. I'm fine staying here all by myself." As soon as Brynn starts crying, Drew and Mom fly into a state of panic and start comforting her. As for me, I rise to my feet and return to my room quietly. Thankfully, I'm able to change my desired institution back to Northgate University one second before the deadline. Honestly speaking, the reason I want to attend Northgate University isn't just so that I can be closer to Drew in terms of distance. I also wish to watch the heavy snowfall with him. If we walk together in the snow with snowflakes covering our heads, it symbolizes the possibility of us spending the rest of our lives together till we're old and gray. Well, it doesn't matter who's standing next to me when I watch the snowfall now. My only wish is that I must watch the snowfall no matter what.

Hazel Pierce has always lived in the shadows, nerdy, invisible, and secretly crushing on the one guy she should never have fallen for– her stepbrother, Trey Rivers. When her secret is nearly exposed on campus, her enemy and the hockey team’s resident bad boy, Jaxon Carter comes to her rescue but not without a prize. He makes her an offer to fake date him to kill the gossip in exchange to improve his grades. He’s cocky, reckless, and dangerously charming. And worst of all he knows how to make her heart race What starts as a simple deal quickly spirals out of control. They promised no feelings, but what happens when their truth is bigger than the rules? When Hazel’s true identity is revealed. She must decide if loving him is worth the risk as she reclaims her true voice and identity.

"You only miss the sun when it starts to snow." Zara Hall was a lover girl, who only had eyes for Scott even though he treated her like trash. After they got married according to their grandmothers' wishes, Zara saw hell at the hands of Scott. He not only refused to show her off to the world as his wife, but also blamed her for his parents' death. To muddy the waters even further, Cora—another childhood friend of theirs—stuck to him like glue. Zara did all she could to win Scott's heart. One day, he asked her for an open marriage. She agreed because she loved him. However, he got angry after he saw her with another man. One thing led to another and Zara had no choice but to ask for a divorce. Surprisingly, Scott was unwilling to let her go. The messy battle soon became messier when she falls pregnant for him. Zara is torn between the devil and the deep blue sea as she works her way to the top to restore her family's lost glory. Meanwhile, Scott realizes that he can't live without her. Cora continued to pose a threat to their happiness. She pulled all the stops just to break them apart, using her child as a pawn. Later, it's discovered that the accident that occurred several years ago was orchestrated. Zara continued to shield her baby from the whole drama, but there was only little she could do as Scott tries everything to win her back. "I'm sorry for not valuing you, Zee. Please, just give me a second chance," he said on his knees in public. Would Zara get back with him for her son's sake? Who's behind their parents' murder? Wanna find out what exactly the future holds for them?

Tara lyle arrives back home with responsibilities she never imagined to incur and in this comes the need to protect A young man Maximus Simmons.

One night of passion. A secret baby. A second chance at love. Alice never meant to fall for billionaire Carson MacPherson,the only son of the rich family she worked for as a maid. Now, she's raising their child alone as Carson is arranged to marry his childhood fiancee. When Carson comes back into her life, old flames ignite. But a jealous rival and a dark plot threaten their future. Can Alice and Carson overcome danger and deceit to find their happy ending? Or will their past tear them apart forever?

The girl my family sponsored was a manipulative opportunist. She had my childhood friends wrapped around her finger. I helped her out of pity for her poor background, but she climbed her way up, slowly taking my place. She faked innocence in front of the brothers while sabotaging me behind my back. When they found out, they called me petty rather than blame her. I got fed up, married my college crush, and moved on. But they flew in overnight, begging for forgiveness.

My husband's sister was pregnant when she leapt from the building. Her final phone call wasn't to him. It was to me. When the police asked for clues, I said nothing. When my in-laws knelt and begged, I watched them coldly. Yet my husband never divorced me. If anything, he treated me even better than before. Then, after I became pregnant, my nightmare truly began. He tied me to the bed and summoned a group of vagrants, ordering them to take turns violating me. He said he wanted me to taste despair.

My parents adopted an AI daughter. The day she came home, I suddenly became the most hated person in the family. Dad said I was a thorn in his side. Mom thought I couldn't hold a candle to Sophia, the AI. My brother Jack yelled at me, "All you do is make trouble!" I was so furious that I shoved Sophia to the floor. Mom's face went dark. She struck me hard across the face. "Sophia is your sister! If you were even half as good as her, I wouldn't be this angry!" "You're going to the Academy of Exemplary Obedience to learn how to be a proper, obedient daughter." I was sent away to "swap places" with an AI daughter. Three years later, my parents and brother came to pick me up. They called my name, but I didn't move. The headmaster smiled and said, "Mrs. Walker, you have to say 'Activate' before Unit EVA will respond."

I am reborn on the day my wife, Courtney Clarke, embezzles company funds to pay off her childhood best friend, Travis Foster's, gambling debts. This time, I, Nathan Turner, don't sell my patents to help her plug her financial hole. Instead, I swiftly file for divorce with the court and cut ties with her. This is all because in my previous life, I had loved her with everything I had for 50 years. I was at her beck and call. She claimed she longed for a platonic marriage, and so I endured a sexless marriage for decades. All this lasted until the day of the shipwreck, when I gave her the last life vest. Yet, after she was saved, she never told the rescue team that I was still trapped inside the cabin. In my final moments, through a crack in the cabin door, I watched her throw herself into Travis' arms. "Trav, I love you. I only love you. From now on, no one will stand in the way of our love." In that moment, I abandoned all will to live, letting the sea swallow me whole. So this time, after being reborn, I choose to step aside and let her pursue her love.