AN: *singings surprise surprise*. I completely forgotten about this story but I was able to write an update. Okay, back to writing for Fighting Hearts. ;)

London, 2008

The sun was beginning to rise over the London skyline as Olivia sat on her balcony, wrapped in a plush blanket with a steaming cup of tea in her hands. Her mind was racing, unable to settle since Fitz's call the night before. It had been over a decade, yet it felt like no time had passed between them at all. His words, "I'm not letting you go," echoed in her head, stirring feelings she'd worked hard to bury.

She wasn't naïve enough to believe that rekindling what they once had would be easy, especially with the complexity of their current lives. Fitz had a child now, and though he claimed not to be married, there was still a whole world she didn't know about him anymore. The Fitz she remembered from their teenage years wasn't the same man who had held her in his arms at the airport, but the connection between them was undeniable.

Her phone buzzed on the table beside her. She reached for it, half-expecting to see his name. Instead, it was a message from Sharise.

Sharise: "Hey girl! I hope you're back in London safe and sound. Let's hop on Skype this week for a quick chat. I have some exciting news!"

Olivia smiled. Their friendship was fresh but felt as natural as breathing.

Olivia: "Definitely! I'll call you later. Can't wait to hear your news."

She set her phone back down, unable to stop herself from opening Facebook and navigating to Fitz's page again. The picture of him with his son and the brunette woman was still there. Her heart clenched at the sight. She wondered what role that woman played in his life. His "I'm not married" didn't necessarily mean he wasn't involved with someone. And even if he wasn't, did that mean he still loved her?

With a sigh, she closed the app and stood up. Dwelling on the past would get her nowhere. It was time to face reality. She needed to focus on her work and the responsibilities she had with the UN. Yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that something bigger was at play. Life had a way of bringing people back when you least expected it, and Fitz showing up in her life again felt like one of those moments.

Houston, Texas, 2008

Fitz sat in his car, the engine idling in the parking lot of the Navy base. He had just dropped off Gabe at school and was supposed to be heading to work, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Olivia. Seeing her again had opened up something inside him, something he hadn't felt in years. His life had moved on, yes, but he couldn't deny that she had been the one. She still was, if he was being honest with himself.

His phone buzzed with a new message. It was from Mellie, Gabe's mother.

Mellie: "Don't forget to pick Gabe up at 3. He has his doctor's appointment at 4." When he was in town, Gabe stayed with him and he handled all of the primary caretaking to give Mellie a break. His job caused him to travel a lot and it was only fair that he did his part.

Fitz quickly typed out a response, "Got it," and set the phone down. Mellie was a good mother, but their relationship had never been what he had with Olivia. They had met when he was stationed in San Diego, and while they had a brief romantic relationship, it became clear early on that they were better as co-parents than as partners. Their son was the only thing that kept them connected, and that was fine with both of them.

He ran a hand over his face, frustrated by the conflicting emotions swirling in his chest. He had to see Olivia again, to talk to her, to figure out if there was any chance of rekindling what they had. But how? She was in London, living a life that was worlds apart from his.

His phone buzzed again, and this time it was a notification from Facebook. His heart skipped a beat as he saw Olivia's name flash across the screen. She had posted a new picture—nothing extraordinary, just a snapshot of her in front of a café in London, smiling in the early morning light. But to him, it was everything.

Without thinking, he opened their chat window and typed:

Fitz: "You're still just as beautiful as I remember."

He hesitated for a moment before hitting send. Was it too forward? Too much? He wasn't sure, but the words felt right. He wanted her to know how much she still meant to him.

Almost immediately, the typing bubbles appeared on the screen. His heart pounded in his chest.

Olivia: "You always knew how to make me smile."

Fitz exhaled, a smile tugging at his lips.

Fitz: "I meant every word. I've been thinking about you a lot."

There was a long pause before her next message came through.

Olivia: "Me too. I just don't know what this means for us."

He frowned, understanding the weight of her words. They were living in different worlds now, with miles of ocean between them and years of life lived apart. But something inside him refused to let go.

Fitz: "I don't know either, but I want to find out. I want to see you again."

Another pause, this one longer than the last.

Olivia: "I want that too."

Fitz felt a rush of relief and anticipation all at once. Maybe, just maybe, this was their second chance.

London

The next day, Olivia stepped into her mother's flat, carrying a bouquet of fresh lilies as she often did when they met for lunch. Her mother loved flowers, and Olivia had always made it a point to bring some as a peace offering before their inevitable squabbles over life choices. Today, though, she had a lingering feeling that the conversation might take a darker turn.

"Livia, darling!" Maya greeted warmly, wiping her hands on a dish towel as she walked over from the kitchen. "You're just in time. I'm making us a salmon salad."

Olivia gave her mother a weak smile as she handed over the flowers. "These are for you."

Maya's face brightened as she took the bouquet and immediately went to find a vase. "You're too good to me," she called from the kitchen. "How are you doing?"

Olivia hesitated, her thoughts immediately flashing back to her phone call with Fitz. Ever since they chatted, she just couldn't shake the feeling that her mother had something to do with their letters.

Deciding to jump right in, she said, "Mom, I spoke to Fitz on the phone and he mentioned that he had written me but I never got any letter. As a matter of fact, he has never gotten any of mine."

She didn't miss how her mother's entire posture stiffened at the mention of his name and letters. Maya's movements froze for a brief moment before she resumed arranging the flowers, her expression unreadable.

Maya's eyes flicked up, wary but curious. "What are you implying?"

Olivia leaned forward, her voice dropping slightly. "When I moved to London, Fitz and I wrote to each other. I wrote him so many letters… And he wrote back, but we never got each other's letters. Not one." She restated.

Maya stiffened again, this time more noticeably. Olivia caught the flicker of guilt in her mother's eyes, a quick flash that was gone in an instant. But Olivia had seen it.

"Isn't that strange?" Olivia pressed, her eyes narrowing as she studied her mother's face. "None of our letters ever reached each other. Almost like someone was intercepting them."

Maya's hands tightened around the vase, her knuckles turning white. "Olivia, I'm sure it was just… I don't know, a mix-up with the postal service or something," she said, but her voice lacked conviction.

Olivia's stomach twisted. She stood up, slowly walking toward the kitchen counter, her eyes locked on her mother. "Mom, did you have something to do with that?"

Maya's face turned sharply toward her daughter, her lips pressing into a thin line. "Olivia, don't be ridiculous."

"Did you do something with our letters?" Olivia asked again, her voice firmer this time, her heart pounding in her chest.

Maya turned away, focusing her attention back on the flowers, but her movements were rigid. "I told you, it must have been—"

"Don't lie to me!" Olivia's voice rose, cutting through her mother's weak deflection. "I saw the look on your face, Mom. Just tell me the truth. Did you take our letters?"

Maya froze, her back still turned to Olivia. For a long moment, there was silence, the tension in the room thick enough to cut through. Finally, Maya turned around, and there was no hiding the guilt on her face this time.

"I did what was best for you," she said quietly, her eyes not meeting Olivia's.

Olivia felt the world tilt beneath her feet, her breath catching in her throat. "What?"

"I couldn't let you throw away your future for some boy," Maya said, her voice stronger now, as if she believed her conviction could justify her actions. "You had your whole life ahead of you, Olivia. I wasn't going to let you be weighed down by some teenage romance that would have only held you back."

Olivia staggered backward, her hand flying to her mouth as she processed her mother's words. "You… You took our letters? You destroyed them?"

Maya's face tightened with resolve. "I didn't destroy them. I kept them. They're in a box, somewhere. But yes, I took them. And I did it for you, Olivia. I didn't want you distracted from what was important—your education, your career, your life."

Olivia's body trembled with a mix of rage and heartbreak. "You had no right! You had no right to interfere in my life like that!" Her voice cracked, the pain of betrayal seeping through every word.

"I had every right as your mother!" Maya snapped, her guilt transforming into defensiveness. "I did everything for you, Olivia. I sacrificed my whole life to make sure you had opportunities that I didn't. I wasn't going to let you make the same mistakes I did."

"I loved him!" Olivia shouted, tears burning in her eyes. "We loved each other, we had a plan, and you ruined that! You ruined everything!"

Maya shook her head, her arms crossing over her chest. "You think you loved him? You were seventeen, Olivia. You didn't know what real love was."

"I knew enough!" Olivia shot back, her voice breaking. "I knew that I wanted to be with him, and you took that away from me. You betrayed me!"

"I did it to protect you," Maya insisted, though her voice wavered. "I did it so you could have a future, so you wouldn't end up stuck in some small town with a baby and no prospects, like I did."

"You didn't do it for me," Olivia said, her voice lowering, laced with hurt. "You did it for yourself. You were so scared that I'd make your mistakes that you sabotaged the one thing that made me happy."

Maya opened her mouth to argue but stopped, her face softening as she saw the tears streaming down Olivia's face. For a moment, the room was quiet, filled only with the sound of Olivia's ragged breaths.

"I trusted you," Olivia whispered, her voice barely audible. "I trusted you, and you took everything from me."

Maya's face crumpled, but she quickly masked it with a hardened expression. "I gave you everything, Olivia. I made sure you succeeded in life. Look at you—you're working for the UN, traveling the world, making a difference. You have everything you've ever wanted."

Olivia shook her head, her tears flowing freely now. "I don't have everything. I don't have Fitz. I don't have the life I wanted. You took that from me, and I'll never forgive you for it."

Maya's mouth parted, but no words came out. She had always been so sure of her choices, so convinced that she knew what was best for Olivia. But now, seeing the pain and anger in her daughter's eyes, she realized the magnitude of what she had done.

Olivia turned away, grabbing her purse from the chair. "I can't do this," she said, her voice shaking with finality. "I don't want anything to do with you. I need time… I need space."

Maya's eyes widened in panic. "Olivia, please don't—"

But it was too late. Olivia stormed toward the door, her heart shattered, leaving Maya standing alone in the kitchen, surrounded by the flowers she had brought.

As the door slammed behind her, Maya sank into the nearest chair, her head falling into her hands as tears finally broke free. She had always done everything for her daughter, but now, as the truth lay between them like a broken bridge, she realized the cost of her decisions

Two days later, Olivia sat in the waiting room of the therapist's office, her heart thudding loudly in her chest. The small room smelled faintly of lavender, and the soft hum of a white noise machine filled the space, but neither did anything to calm her nerves. She hadn't been to therapy in years, and even now, it felt like a last resort. She had started therapy when she first moved to the UK. The transition was brutal for her and the weather affected her mood. But after the explosive argument with her mother, she had found herself sinking deeper into a pit of sadness and confusion. She couldn't shake the feeling that her life had gone off the rails in ways she couldn't control, ways she couldn't fix on her own.

When the receptionist called her name, Olivia stood up, clutching her purse tightly as she followed her into the office. The therapist's room was warm and inviting, decorated with soft colors, comfortable chairs, and an array of houseplants that filled the space with life. Dr. Elaine Carter, a middle-aged woman with kind eyes and an open smile, gestured for Olivia to sit down.

"Olivia, it's nice to meet you," Dr. Carter said as she sat across from her, her hands resting loosely in her lap. "Take your time and let's go at your pace. What brought you here today?"

Olivia hesitated for a moment, her fingers nervously fidgeting with the strap of her purse. She wasn't sure where to begin. There was so much she needed to say, so much she had been holding onto for years. And yet, now that she was finally in the presence of someone who could help her untangle it all, the words felt heavy in her throat.

"I… I don't even know where to start," Olivia said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Dr. Carter gave her a reassuring nod. "That's okay. We can start anywhere. Whatever feels most pressing for you right now."

Olivia took a deep breath, feeling her chest tighten. "It's my mother," she finally said, her voice cracking with the weight of the words. "She's… she's always been so controlling, so overbearing. And I just—" she paused, tears threatening to spill over, "I feel like she's ruined my life."

Dr. Carter remained quiet, giving Olivia the space to continue, her expression gentle and patient.

Olivia took another breath, trying to steady herself before diving into the memories that had haunted her since the fight with Maya. "She's always been this way," Olivia said, her voice shaking with the force of her emotions. "Always dictating how I should live, what I should focus on. When I was a teenager, she wouldn't let me have any kind of life outside of school. She made me break up with my first love, Fitz, because she thought I needed to concentrate on my education. She said boys would come later, but... but that wasn't fair. I loved him. And now, I just found out that she was the reason we lost touch. She intercepted our letters, and kept us from communicating."

Dr. Carter tilted her head slightly, her gaze full of empathy. "How did you find that out?"

Olivia wiped at the tears gathering in her eyes, her hands trembling slightly. "I ran into him recently, after all these years. We were both so confused about why we'd stopped hearing from each other after I moved to London. I brought it up with my mother, and after a lot of pushing, she admitted that she took our letters. She kept them from us because she thought it was best for me."

Dr. Carter leaned forward slightly, her voice calm and steady. "That must have been incredibly painful for you to hear."

"It was," Olivia whispered, the floodgates of her emotions finally opening. "I thought we just… grew apart. But to find out that it wasn't even our choice—that my mother decided for us—I feel like she robbed me of so much. She took away my chance to choose. To be with him. To see what could've happened."

Olivia's words tumbled out, her voice thick with emotion. "I always knew she was controlling, but I never thought she would go that far. She didn't trust me to make my own decisions. She's always been like that—deciding what's best for me without even considering what I want. And now… now I'm almost 30, and I don't even know what I want anymore. I don't even know if I'm happy with the life I've built."

Dr. Carter let the silence sit between them for a moment before speaking. "It sounds like you've been carrying a lot of resentment toward your mother for a long time. And now, finding out about the letters has only made those feelings stronger."

Olivia nodded, her tears spilling over now, dripping onto her lap. "I don't know how to forgive her. I don't know if I even can forgive her. I feel like she's always been in control of my life, and I'm… I'm tired of it. I'm tired of feeling like I'm living the life she wanted for me, not the one I wanted for myself."

Dr. Carter's expression remained soft but steady. "It sounds like there's a deep sense of betrayal here. Betrayal not just from what happened with Fitz, but from a lifetime of feeling like your mother's choices overshadowed your own. Would you say that's accurate?"

Olivia wiped at her tears again, nodding. "Yeah. I always wanted to make her proud. I thought that if I followed her rules, if I did everything she wanted, then maybe I'd feel like my life was my own. But it never felt that way. I've worked so hard, but it still feels like I'm living her dream, not mine."

Dr. Carter leaned back slightly, considering Olivia's words. "When you think about your life now—your work, your accomplishments—what comes to mind? How do you feel about where you are?"

Olivia stared down at her hands, silent for a long moment. "I feel… empty," she finally admitted. "I mean, I've done a lot. I've traveled the world, I've worked with amazing people through the UN. But there's always been this… this hole inside me. I thought it was because I'd lost Fitz. I thought maybe if I found him again, if we reconnected, it would fill that void. But now… I'm not so sure."

Dr. Carter nodded slowly, her eyes thoughtful. "Do you think that void might be tied to something deeper? Something more than just your relationship with Fitz?"

Olivia bit her lip, her mind spinning as she considered the question. "Maybe… maybe it's about me. I've spent so much of my life trying to live up to my mother's expectations, trying to be the version of myself that she wanted me to be. But I don't even know if that's who I am."

Dr. Carter's voice was gentle as she spoke. "It sounds like there's a lot of pressure you've put on yourself to be what your mother wanted, and now that you're starting to question that, it's causing a lot of confusion. It's natural to feel lost when you start to realize that the life you've built isn't entirely your own."

Olivia's throat tightened as she swallowed back more tears. "I don't know how to fix it. I don't know how to find out who I am without her voice in my head."

Dr. Carter leaned forward, her gaze warm and supportive. "That's what we're here to figure out, Olivia. Therapy is about exploring those questions, giving yourself the space to understand where your feelings come from and what it is you truly want for yourself. It's going to take time, and it's going to be hard work, but you don't have to do it alone."

Olivia nodded, the weight of her emotions still heavy, but for the first time in a long while, she felt a small glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, she could find a way to reclaim her life—her real life—on her own terms.

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