First Time I Let Go: The Courage to Release

Twenty-one-year-old Eliza Morgan thought she had it all figured out. Junior year of college, a promising internship in New York publishing, and Daniel-her first real love, the artist who sees her soul and supports her dreams. After a transformative summer apart-hers in Manhattan, his in Paris-their romantic reunion across Europe seemed to confirm that their love could survive anything.
But when Daniel receives an unexpected offer for a year-long art residency in Tokyo, their carefully balanced world tilts off its axis. The opportunity could launch his international career, positioning him among the most promising young artists of his generation. It would also mean an ocean between them, with no clear end date.
As Eliza grapples with her own rising opportunities in New York publishing, she faces an impossible choice: follow Daniel to Tokyo and abandon her career dreams, or stay and watch their relationship crumble under the weight of distance and diverging ambitions. When they attempt to make long-distance work, deeper truths emerge about their different visions for the future-and the painful realization that sometimes love isn't enough to bridge the gap between two people growing in different directions.
Through tearful conversations, passionate arguments, and moments of profound connection, Eliza must confront the hardest lesson of her young life: that the greatest act of love might be finding the courage to let go, even when every instinct screams to hold on tighter.
A heart-wrenching exploration of first love, personal growth, and the painful wisdom that comes from impossible choices, "The First Time I Let Go" is the emotionally powerful fourth installment in The First Time Series-a story about discovering that sometimes loving someone means setting them free.