Things We Never Got Over Novels & Stories

I'll give you the best of everything in the world. He began confessing to our old photos. In the photos, I was smiling blissfully, nestled in his arms with my eyes full of love. However, that love had been crushed by his own hands.

Richard confessed that he would love to move back to Salisbury one day. Life seemed pretty good for the group, they had all finished college, university and all worked in jobs they wished for when they were studying. James and Lucy bond was the strongest anyone had ever seen. Everyone knew they belonged together; the world could see it. The universe had made them for each other. The love this couple had for each other shone in everything they did as a couple and as separate people. Emma and Robert were just as strong and couldn’t be without each other for a day. They were always together, they hated being apart, they were a unit. You took on one of them you took them both.

"I know this path is a challenging one, but I'm willing to wait. I'll wait for the day when your anger fades and you accept me again." Ivory didn't respond to that. Memories of the past flashed in her mind, as vivid as if they'd happened just yesterday. The pain had already been seared into her heart. Even if the wounds healed, they would still leave scars. And once the damage was done, no apology would reverse it.

However, on the night of our wedding, I received intimate photos of him and Riley. At the time, I thought someone was jealous of our happiness and trying to sabotage us. Yet, I waited all night for Matteo to come home, and no explanation or apology came. That was when I understood that the love Matteo showed before marriage had never even amounted to one. Matteo continued smiling as he said, “It’s been eight months. Are you still hung up on those unimportant people? So, how about I take you overseas to get some air? Or we could visit your parents.”

In another part of the city, Evan did the same — two souls in different worlds, both wondering the same thing: What happens when the heart is forced to obey? The answer would come soon — in the vows they would speak, in the promises they would break, and in the love they never meant to find.

She remembered through him how her mother used to be, he could remember as well that once in his life he had someone to take care of him. Both of their hearts were broken and empty, maybe that was the reason for cooperating and caring for each other. Because the person who missed would be the most who would offer…

Erika sighed. “You’re one to talk! Didn’t you sell your house for a man?” Jennifer shot back. “That’s personal, Beshy. Don’t remind me!” Erika protested. “See? You were a fool once too — just like me. So don’t judge me,” Jennifer said. “Fine, fine, I understand. Don’t remind me of my past mistakes,” Erika said, and they both laughed. “Let’s just drink and forget all our problems,” Jennifer suggested.

We weren’t the ones waiting to be chosen. We were the ones choosing. Each other. Every time. My hand found his. Holding it tighter this time. Deliberate. Certain. “That won’t happen again,” I said softly. Not a hope. Not a wish. A fact. “Not to you.” His fingers tightened around mine. “And not to you,” he replied. Just as certain. Just as unbreakable. Right now our past didn’t feel like something that defined us. It felt like something we had survived and overcome. Together.

We did not speak of the wedding. It existed between us like a sealed door neither wished to open. I could feel it hovering at the edge of every quiet moment, waiting to be acknowledged, but we chose instead to look away. Roman never spoke her name. I never asked about preparations. When the court buzzed with talk of alliances and heirs, we withdrew deeper into our small, stolen world and pretended time would hold its breath for us. Sometimes I wondered if that was the cruelest lie of all. Yet still, I stayed.

Family secrets, long-buried resentments, and the echoes of old betrayals resurfaced, threatening to consume us. Amid the chaos, Nathaniel and I clung to each other, drawing strength from our love and the unwavering bond we had built. Together, we faced the ghosts of the past, confronting the consequences of actions we had no control over. In our quest for answers, we encountered the child, the product of Nathaniel's past. Their presence shook us to the core, as we grappled with the realization that a life had been lived without our knowledge—a life that now intertwined with ours.