Reclaiming Identity
Follow Tasha as she rediscovers the woman she was before her toxic relationship.
A bold story of betrayal, reinvention, and reclaiming your power.
"Sometimes, the most powerful love story is the one you write for yourself." — C.G. Dixon
One week before her wedding, Tasha Evans discovers her fiancé is cheating with a mutual friend. But she's not crying into her wedding planner. She's planning the perfect goodbye.
Brand manager Tasha finds the texts on Liam's phone at 2 a.m. Three years of making herself smaller, dimming her light, and bending to fit his perfect picture — all for a man callous enough to cheat with a mutual friend.
Instead of quietly canceling the wedding, Tasha makes a bold decision: she'll attend their joint bachelor-bachelorette celebration at the state fair, where their relationship began. Not to pretend, but to reclaim her power with one unforgettable, public toast:
"To Liam, who thought I'd never find out…"
What follows isn't just a breakup — it's a reclamation. A new apartment. Abandoned passions reignited. The launch of her own creative agency. With her fierce best friend Riley, analytical Priya, and emotional Hallie by her side, Tasha navigates confrontations with her ex, reconnects with her parents on more authentic terms, and rediscovers the woman she'd set aside for someone else's idea of a picture-perfect relationship.
Raw, empowering, and achingly relatable, The Ending of Things: Kisses & Carnivals is a celebration of choosing yourself when life tears up the script. Because sometimes the most powerful love story isn't about finding love with someone else — it's about finally, unapologetically falling in love with your authentic self.
Follow Tasha as she rediscovers the woman she was before her toxic relationship.
Experience the power of true friendship as Tasha navigates betrayal and reinvention.
Witness Tasha transform personal setback into professional opportunity.
Before the toast, there was the love story. Before the Ending is a collection of four short stories charting four key milestones in Tasha and Liam's relationship — the origin story of the couple readers meet in The Ending of Things, from the moment they first became a couple through to the brink of their engagement.
The night they cross the line from friends to something more.
The pivotal fair date that becomes their origin story.
When they decide to build a life under one roof.
The choice that sets everything in motion.
The story continues six months after The Ending of Things, following Tasha as she embarks on a new journey and dares to embrace love once again in this next chapter of her life.
"I wanted to write a story about a woman who discovers her strength after a messy breakup. There are so many stories about heartbreak and unlearned lessons. However, I wanted to explore the aftermath of the lesson that finally wakes you up and pushes you to make different choices. Tasha's journey mirrors what so many women experience — the gradual dimming of self in relationships, and the powerful reclamation that can follow when we choose authenticity over the accommodation of others." — C.G. Dixon
C.G. Dixon made her novel debut with The Ending of Things: Kisses & Carnivals after publishing various online magazine articles and websites. Her writing explores female identity, relationships in transition, and the delicate balance between romantic love and self-love. Through her characters and their journeys, she strives to inspire and encourage women to embrace the courage needed to live authentically.