History Main / SecondLove

* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade'' has Jin, one of the few and only characters in the series who is a marriageable bachelor and had a previous wife. [[spoiler:She was an ill girl who passed away, and Jin, despite being a doctor, couldn't help her.]] Whether he ends up with the player or his LoveInterest Anissa depends on the player, however. The original UsefulNotes/{{SNES}} version has Ann's father marrying Nina's mother, if you marry Ann.

* In Creator/JaneAusten's ''Literature/SenseAndSensibility'', Marianne Dashwood's disbelief in second loves is a major plot driver. Not surprisingly, she [[spoiler:finds her first love unworthy of her, and ends up falling in love again [[MayDecemberRomance with Colonel Brandon]]]]. Her sister Elinor even comments on her sister's feelings on the subject, saying she's not sure how Marianne can disregard the notion of Second Love when their own father had two wives, and it was that second attachment which produced the both of them and their other sister. Elinor herself is also this for the man she eventually marries.

* ''Fanfic/StarsAbove'' is all about this for [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Homura]].

* In the {{manhwa}} ''Manhwa/ThreadsOfTime'', protagonist Moon-Bin's first love was his loyal servant Chung-War. She reciprocated his feelings, but unfortunately, she was [[spoiler: captured by the enemies and forced to marry one of the higher-up soldiers]]. He got drunk over it, and promptly met his to-be-second-love, Atan Hadas. Although he didn't love her as much as she loved him, they eventually do end up together. Sort of. If you [[spoiler: count her reincarnation in the future as being the same person]].

* ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'': ComicBook/{{Raven}} is this for Beast Boy, his first love being Jillian Jackson.

* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', Lulu ended up with Wakka, after her first love, Chappu, was killed by Sin.
** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', Locke falls in love with Celes while trying to find a way to ressurect his first girlfriend. She eventually comes back, but [[DeathOfTheHypotenuse dies shortly after]], using her [[FinalSpeech last words]] to [[CleaningUpRomanticLooseEnds wish the new couple a happy life together]].
* In ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'', Fei's first love was his [[UnluckyChildhoodFriend childhood friend]] Alice (who was engaged to his other childhood friend Timothy). However, both Alice and Timothy were killed. Later, Fei ends up with Elly. Later in the game, it is revealed that [[spoiler:Elly really is Fei's first love, as they have been lovers for 10000 years via reincarnation.]]
* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', Meryl's first love was Solid Snake. Unfortunately for her, Snake was too concerned with his [[HeterosexualLifePartners Heterosexual Life Partner Otacon]]. She eventually marries the game's ButtMonkey Johnny Sasaki.

* ''Franchise/MassEffect'':
%%** The player character to Thane or Jack in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2''.
** [[PlayerCharacter Shepard]] him/herself can have one in the second game, if you romance Ashley/Kaidan/Liara in the first game and move on to someone else in the second. This can cause tension in the third game... unless your ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' romance is dead, of course.
** In the third game, Male Shepard can be one to GayOption Steve after helping him move past the death of his husband.
** Potentially, [[spoiler:Jacob in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' hooks up with a new woman after his relationship with Shepard. He states that he believed they wouldn't be able to be together after her incarceration by the Alliance and that he still has feelings for her, but stays with his new love.]]

* The player character to Casavir in ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2''. And Gann or Safiya (depending on gender) to the player in ''Mask of the Betrayer''. [[spoiler:Though, given the soul-juggling mechanics, Safiya is a male player's first love and Elanee was his second.]]
* The Player Character to Atton in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'', [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation depending on how you interpret his feelings for the woman he was talking about.]]
* Princess Peach to Mario in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series games. Mario's original love interest is Pauline, from his debut game, ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong''.
%%* Atoli from ''VideoGame/DotHackGUGames'' to Haseo, at least in the G.U. Film Trilogy. The games themselves have ''no'' canon pairing.

* The PlayerCharacter can be this to [[spoiler:Professor Grabiner]] in ''VisualNovel/MagicalDiary''.
* Isaac spent almost all of the original ''VideoGame/DeadSpace'' trying to find his girlfriend, Nicole [[spoiler:only to find out that she had been DeadAllAlong]]. In the [[VideoGame/DeadSpace2 sequel]], he meets Ellie Langford; they help each other survive for a while, and [[spoiler:Isaac eventually manages to overcome his guilt and sorrow over Nicole's death]]. Sometime between ''2'' and ''[[VideoGame/DeadSpace3 3]]'', Isaac and Ellie had a relationship. His relationship with the two women serve as BookEnds for the series; the opening of ''Dead Space'' had Isaac watching at a recording Nicole had sent, and at the end of ''3'' [[spoiler:as he plummets without sign of rescue]] he looks at a picture of Ellie.
* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight'', General Camus of Grust falls in love with Princess Nyna of Archanea [[BodyguardCrush after he protects her from being taken by the Dolhr Empire]]. [[StarCrossedLovers It ends in tragedy]] when he's forced to fight Marth during the War of Shadows [[MyCountryRightOrWrong out of loyalty for his nation]], and is defeated and presumed dead. He actually survives but loses his memories and washes ashore in Valentia, where he's found by a cleric named Tatiana, [[FlorenceNightingaleEffect who nurses him back to health and the two fall in love with each other]]. Camus assumes a new identity as Zeke and decides to stay with Tatiana even after regaining his memory, although he does come back one last time to free Nyna of Medeus' control in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem''.
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'':
** ''Any'' guy who marries Cordelia, since she's had feelings for Prince Chrom for a long time and her romantic supports are, more often than not, about her trying to deal with it. And this certainly includes a male PlayerCharacter.
** This ''may'' be the case in regards to Cordelia's best friend Sumia too, but it's much less harped on since she ''does'' have a chance to be with Chrom if the player so desires ''and'' her possible feelings for Chrom receive less focus than Cordelia's own.
** And possibly gender-flipped in in regards to [[CannotTalkToWomen Lon'qu]], if his thoughts and feelings regarding [[spoiler: his [[TheLostLenore dead]] OnlyFriend Ke'ri]] ''were'' romantic in nature. (This includes a female PlayerCharacter, of course.)
** Also any guy who hooks up with Lissa ([[BodyguardCrush the aforementioned Lon'qu]] included) save for Frederick, her FirstLove.
** In regards to the [[spoiler:[[KidFromTheFuture kids from the future]]]], Cynthia implies in her supports with Inigo that she's had a crush on him [[ChildhoodFriendRomance since they were children]], so any guy ''save'' for Inigo will be this for her. This may also be the case for Owain and ''maybe'' [[spoiler:Gerome]], in regards to [[spoiler:''Cynthia herself'']], as both boys imply that they might have harbored feelings of their own for the girl in their respective support chains with her.
* This happens a bit in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' as well:
** Camilla confesses that she's been in love with the male Avatar since she first saw him, so any other guy she marries will be this to her. [[spoiler: In the localization, things are... a bit complicated in regards to Silas - he once had a crush on her and she ''almost'' liked him back.]]
** The male Avatar is this to Flora, and probably Scarlet. Flora is stated to be in love with Jakob, whereas Scarlet is strongly implied to have feelings for Ryoma; however, the male Avatar is their only romantic partner.
** Any guy who pairs up with Oboro, who's been enamored with her friend and lord Takumi for a long time.
** Saizo and Kagero are AmicableExes who work together as Ryoma's retainers, so any guy who romances Kagero ''and'' any girl who falls for Saizo and is loved by him will count as this.
* ''VideoGame/PretentiousGame 2'' is about [[PlayerCharacter the blue square]] moving on from [[FirstLove the bright pink square]] and getting romantically involved with the light pink square. It doesn't end well.
* In ''VideoGame/QueenAtArms'', if Marcus romances the court mage Rubus, she is this for him; he tells her that part of what draws him to her is how much she resembles his old mentor, who was also his first love.

* In the IGA continuity of the ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' franchise, Dracula became an immortal due to the death of his wife Elisabetha in order to spite God. [[MayDecemberRomance Several hundred years later]], he would fall in love with a woman named Lisa and have a son named Alucard. Unfortunately, this relationship didn't go well for poor Drac either.

* In the ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' series, Kratos's only love was for his wife Lysandra and daughter Calliope. After Ares tricked him into killing them, he became the bundle of UnstoppableRage we know and love. He occasionally has one night stands, but that is just meaningless sex. Centuries later, in ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4'', Kratos finally moved on and married Faye, having a son named Atreus. Unfortunately, Faye dies of undisclosed causes before the game starts, but his comments indicate he loved her as much as Lysandra.
* In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'', Crispin is in love with Nera; but if the Hero chooses Nera as his bride, then Crispin will meet and fall in love with the beautiful dancer Ashlee and later on in the game get married to her. Things seem to work out pretty well for him no matter what.

* [[ShipTease Teased]] through ''VideoGame/TheBannerSaga'' and ''VideoGame/TheBannerSaga2'' for [[TheHero Rook]] and [[TheLancer Oddleif]]. It [[RelationshipUpgrade finally happens]] in ''VideoGame/TheBannerSaga3'', if the player makes the right choices.
* In ''VideoGame/HeavyRain'', Ethan and Grace divorce over the death of their son, Jason. During Ethan's adventure in finding his other son (Shaun) that was kidnapped, he meets Madison and the two develop feelings for each other. If you have Ethan forgive Madison for deceiving him as a journalist and they both survive at the end, the two of them move into an apartment together.

[[caption-width-right:250:The ''only'' girl, you say?]]

* ''Film/{{Steam}}'': Doris and August were both previously married to much beloved spouses. They find love again with each other in old age.

* In ''Fanfic/AvengersInfiniteWars'' Twi'lek Jedi Knight Aayla Secura to o Steve Rogers/Captain America, [[spoiler: especially after Peggy’s death]]

* In ''Manga/CaseClosed'', Sato [[spoiler:lost her FirstLove Matsuda to a terrorist attack]]. Since she's in a LoveTriangle with Takagi and Shiratori, either of them will be her SecondLove. [[spoiler:Takagi is the one she falls for]].

* ''Manga/InuYasha'': Inuyasha and Kikyou had vowed to marry before being torn apart by [[BigBad Naraku]]. Kagome heals Inuyasha's heart, but their romance is complicated by the resurrection of Kikyou by dark magic. Being officially obliged to both women, Inuyasha cannot give up either, a situation only resolved when Kikyou is able to rest in peace, allowing him to move on with Kagome. However, while Kagome and Kikyou are two different women, Kagome is Kikyou's reincarnated soul. Her very existence is the result of Kikyou's lingering desire to meet Inuyasha again. This results in a strange combination of FirstGirlWins and SecondLove at the same time.

* ''ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMirage'': April and Casey were in the early stages of forming a relationship when he accidentally kills a teenage mugger during the ''City at War'' arc. This leads him into a drunken spiral and the two of them break up almost as soon as they get together. ''Then'' he meets Gabrielle who is essentially his SecondLove who, sadly, dies in childbirth. He then returns to New York and reunites with April and eventually marries her. So April is really his first ''and'' third loves.

* ''Fanfic/TheFlowerPrincessAndTheAlchemist'': [[{{Manga/FullmetalAlchemist}} Edward]] gradually becomes this for [[{{Manga/Bleach}} Orihime]]. Things become... complicated when Orihime is still madly in with [[FirstLove Ichigo]]. [[SingleTargetSexuality She's so in love with him]] in fact that she doesn't recognize [[ObliviousToLove her feelings of love for]] [[IfItsYouItsOkay Ed]]. This indecisiveness leads to much [[LoveHurts confusion and anguish]] for both parties with her dealing with [[ConflictingLoyalty Conflicting Loyalties]], and Edward dealing with the [[InsecureLoveInterest insecurities]] and [[GreenEyedMonster jealousy]] of being her SecondLove.

* Creator/DorothyLSayers' Literature/LordPeterWimsey and Harriet Vane were both on their SecondLove.

* Nobody who's seen ''[[Series/BabylonFive Babylon 5]]'' would dispute that Delenn is the love of John Sheridan's life. She is his second love; he was a widower for some years before they met. Then the tension goes through the roof for a while when there's some dispute over whether the [[strike:first]] second wife is really dead.... [[note]]Technically, she is his third love, but John and Elizabeth Lochley burnt out fast, whereas he was still in love with Anna for years after her "death".[[/note]] Sheridan is also Delenn's second love, not through authorial intent, but because her character was intended as the LoveInterest of the main character, and that role got [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute passed from Sinclair to Sheridan]] in the second season.

* ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'' is full of these. Since we are dealing with only 50,000 human beings left, most people ended up with people they might not have picked initially as a second choice. In some cases, it leads to the love of their lives, such as with Laura Roslin and Bill Adama. Just before the attacks, Laura had ended a decade-long affair and Bill had found out that his ex-wife (long-divorced) was remarrying. Forced to work together to protect the rest of humanity, the two eventually developed a close friendship that grew into real love. When Laura is kidnapped and presumed dead, Bill quits his job to stay behind on the slim chance she might still be alive, telling his grown son "I can't live without her."

* ''Series/DowntonAbbey'': Very common, both among the Crawley family and the servants:
** We start with Mary, who has a happy marriage with Matthew, and after [[spoiler: Matthew's death]] falls in love with Henry Talbot.
** [[LoveMartyr Edith]], meanwhile, is on her third or even fourth love: before the series even starts, she pines after her cousin Patrick who dies on the Titanic; after the war, she attempts to marry Anthony Strallan who jilts her at the altar; later has a relationship with her editor, Michael Gregson, who gets her pregnant before dying in the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch; and finally marries Bertie Pelham.
** For the servants, there's John Bates, who is unhappily married to Vera Bates, but after [[spoiler: her suicide and sundry misadventures and murder accusations]] marries his fellow servant Anna.
** Former chauffeur Tom Branson has his epic love story with the third Crawley sister, Sybil, who unfortunately [[spoiler:dies in childbirth]] halfway through the third series. After a tentative romance with one Miss Sarah Bunting that [[RomanticFalseLead ultimately doesn't go anywhere]], Tom finally finds lasting love again in the first film in the person of Miss Lucy Smith, Lady Bagshaw's lady's maid. Unlike with Sybil or Miss Bunting, the Crawleys encourage Tom and Lucy's romance because [[spoiler:Lucy is actually the illegitimate daughter and heir of the Lady Bagshaw, and by marrying Tom the fortune of her Crawley branch family would go back to the main one]].
** Finally, Thomas Barrow, whose first love was with the very manipulative Duke of Crowborough, develops a mutual attraction with Richard Ellis in the first film; when Ellis goes back into the closet, enter stage right dashing Hollywood actor Guy Dexter, who officially hires Barrow as butler but is pretty clearly asking him to be his life companion (and Barrow readily accepts).
* ''Series/FirstKill'': Jack Burns lost his wife and Theseus' mother to a vampire attack, but he's clearly in love with his second wife Talia when the series begins.
* ''Series/{{Friends}}'':
** Ross's rarely seen ex-wife Carol might count as his second love, following as she did after his teenage crush on Rachel (or Rachel herself could be the second love, as their relationship did not progress into actual romance until after Carol).
** Chandler was Monica's third love; her first love was Richard and her second love was Pete. She had other short relationships, but they were the only ones she seriously thought about marrying. The writers specifically hammered it in, when Richard returned wanting to marry her and she decisively picked Chandler, showing how people do move on and your first love isn't necessarily the love of your life, a label she specifically gave Chandler.
** Monica was also Chandler's third love, as he had serious relationships with Janice and Kathy and was devastated when they ended. Flashbacks reveal both Chandler and Monica had crushes on each other the first and second time they met, respectively, but it wasn't until they got to know each other and had been friends for almost a decade that they fell in love.
** Monica was also this to Richard. His first love was his ex-wife, who was his [[HighSchoolSweethearts High School Sweetheart]], and after they got divorced, he fell in love with Monica.
** Mike is this to Phoebe, her first love being David. Like the Richard/Monica/Chandler triangle, both of them proposed to her at the same time, and she turned David down despite being in love with him for years.
** And, interestingly enough, Phoebe might have been this for Mike, as it was established that the latter had been married before, and the divorce was harsh enough for him to give up on the institution of marriage until he met Phoebe.

* Charlotte in ''Series/SexAndTheCity'' is a firm believer in this trope, stating at one point that she thinks everyone has two great loves in their life, later proving her theory with her [[HappilyMarried happy marriage]] to second husband Harry (who was her divorce lawyer from her first marriage).
* On ''Series/GilmoreGirls'': Rory had three loves: Dean, Jess and Logan. According to WordOfGod, she and Jess would have found their way back to each other had the series continued the way ASP had wanted. And her mother Lorelai hooked up with Luke, her Second Love after UnluckyChildhoodFriend Christopher. (Though Luke was actually her Third Love, if you count Max.)
* On ''Series/TheOC,'' Ryan had three loves, though the first mostly took place before the start of the series. The first was with his childhood friend Theresa that was never more than on and off again but left them with strong feelings for each other. The second was with Marissa and was stormy and passionate and ultimately tragic, the great romance of his life. The third love with Taylor was never as comfortable as with Theresa or as passionate as with Marissa but it was the first truly adult love and - depending on how you interpret the enigmatic ending series ending- the one that might have lasted.
* Reid is this for Luke on ''Series/AsTheWorldTurns''. [[spoiler: [[BuryYourGays Well, was.]]]]
* In a rare [[SoapOpera telenovela]] example, ''Simplemente María''. María ends up with her second love, a humble teacher who had been near her since she arrived from the provinces, and stayed at her side as she climbed her way from an illiterate, homeless single mother to a rich and famous fashion designer; instead of the rich and capid biological father of her son, who dumped her as soon as she got pregnant. This was a rare move back in the day. Other writers would have applied LoveRedeems on the rich dude, but here they glanced towards SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan and built towards it.
* In a supernatural example, one ''Series/BeyondBeliefFactOrFiction'' segment shows us a man who has lost his wife. He soon meets a new love who looks and acts ''very'' similar too her. When ''she'' ends up dying as well, he happens upon a ''third'' love who is exactly the same. It's implied that this cycle keeps on going, and that it's the exact same woman's spirit.
* ''Series/RepublicOfDoyle'':
** After her husband went to jail and she filed for divorce, Rose hit it off with Malachy, who is a widower with three grown children.
** Jake tends to be TheCasanova but it is clear that Nikki was his first big love and it took him a long time to get over their divorce. Leslie is his second big love and while the feelings are reciprocated, she breaks up with him a numerous occasions due to the illegal stunts he pulls. [[spoiler: They end up HappilyMarried in the series finale.]]
* On ''Series/{{Glee}}'':

* Chuck is this to Blair on ''Series/GossipGirl'', whose first love was Nate. Nate's first love was Blair and his second was Serena.
* On ''Series/TheVampireDiaries'':
** Stefan is this to Elena. Elena's first love was Matt, also her childhood friend whom Elena broke up with four months before unexpectedly meeting and eventually falling in love with Stefan. After Elena and Stefan break up, she eventually falls for his older brother Damon, and he becomes her ''third'' love.
** Elena herself is the second love of ''both'' Damon and Stefan after they have spent over a century in love with her ancestor and doppelganger Katherine.
* Ianto of ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'' finds love again after the [[TearJerker tragic]] fate of Lisa. Actually, Torchwood being [[EveryoneHasLotsOfSex what it is]], most of the characters fall under this trope, losing people they loved before hooking up with [[spoiler: or at least getting a [[TearJerker heartbreaking]] AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther moment before dying]]. Gwen is really the only exception.
* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' has three notable examples, each involving the deaths of the previous loves.
** Kasidy Yates, whom Benjamin Sisko marries after years of mourning for his first wife, Jennifer.
** Jadzia Dax, whom Worf ends up marrying several years after the death of his first love K'Ehlyr.
** Odo pines after Kira Nerys for years while she's with Vedek Bareil Antos (and later Shakaar Edon, but this is a less serious relationship) before eventually confessing his feelings and entering a relationship with her.
* For ''Series/TheXFiles'', the [[spoiler: dying doctor]] Scully revisits in season 7's "all things" seems to have been her first love when she was a student of medicine. (Phoebe Green, mentioned only in one first-season episode, was Mulder's.) She still has some feelings for him but rejects the idea of restarting their relationship, all but telling him she's moved on and has somebody else.
* In ''Series/{{Farscape}}'', Chiana was this for D'Argo. Crichton was also Aeryn's second love, though both had [[SexualEuphemism recreated]] with plenty of others before.
* In ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'', Arthur is Guinevere's SecondLove after [[FirstLove Lancelot]].

* On ''Series/{{Lost}}'', Sayid's first and second loves Nadia and Shannon became the subject of disagreement among fans that wasn't limited to shippers. [[spoiler:Both were killed; Shannon in season 2 and Nadia in season 4 or 5, depending on your perspective. Sayid was then reunited with Shannon in season 6 courtesy of the "sideways universe" while Nadia ended up with his brother,]] which annoyed many fans who believed [[spoiler:the character whose name happened to be Nadia]] was the "truer" of the two loves.
* In ''Series/TheDeadZone'', Sarah and Johnny are engaged and eager to start a family together, until Johnny is in a car accident which leaves him in a coma for six years. Sarah meets Sheriff Walt Bannerman at the hospital, and they fall in love and marry, raising the son Sarah and Johnny conceived just before the accident as though he were their own. When Johnny awakens, Sarah is clearly still in love with him, but she is ''also'' in love with her husband and would never think of leaving him for Johnny. (The writer's bible for the series openly hinted that future seasons might see the three of them [[OneTrueThreesome come to some mutual accommodation]] but the series creator died before that could reach the screen.)
* ''Series/{{Bones}}'': Brennan is Booth's second love. Rebecca, Parker's mother, refused to marry him and they did try getting back together but fought too much. Then he fell badly for Bones, only to have her reject him for a while before they got together. Hannah was in there as well, but she was a rebound thing, a woman he met and turned to when Brennan rejected him. Brennan also had a brief thing with Sully, another FBI agent, before he bought a boat and left, and she refused to join him.
* ''Series/{{CSINY}}'': Christine Whitney, for Mac Taylor. His first love was his wife Claire, and her death on 9/11 devastated him. Peyton was a bit of a subversion; they seemed in love for a while, but it became clear Mac was still not ready, and neither ever verbally expressed love for/to the other. Comparing then with now, it does not seem he was in love with her the way he is with Christine. Especially since he and Christine get engaged during the series finale.
* ''Series/MurdochMysteries'': Detective William Murdoch's fiancée died of consumption before the beginning of the series. He falls for his colleague, beautiful [[TheCoroner pathologist]] Dr. Julia Ogden. He has to struggle to let his first love go and acknowledge his deepening feelings for Julia, his intellectual equal.
* In the revived ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** Rose Tyler is in a serious relationship with Mickey at the beginning of Series 1, but by the end of Series 2 she has fallen in love with the Tenth Doctor and ultimately marries his [[HalfHumanHybrid half-human]] [[DoppelgangerReplacementLoveInterest clone]] at the end of Series 4.
** Clara Oswald and the Eleventh Doctor's relationship was becoming platonically romantic by the time he regenerated, but when he became the much older-looking, broodier Twelfth Doctor he decided that this was a mistake and pulled back. Clara subsequently fell in love with fellow schoolteacher Danny Pink, [[LoveTriangle but was now torn between ordinary human life with him and her risky-but-exciting life with the Doctor, whom she came to realize she still loved for all that he had changed]]. At the end of Series 8 she decides to stay with Danny...'''but''' [[spoiler: he dies in an accident just as she's giving him the news by phone, ends up a Cyberman, and makes a HeroicSacrifice to save the world]]. The Doctor and Clara separate over mutual IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy lies after this, but the events of "Last Christmas" bring them back together and, having realized they are soulmates, they become an OfficialCouple in Series 9. But Clara never tells the Doctor she loves him, at least not onscreen, to maintain her promise to Danny that she would never say the three little words to any other man.
** After Clara is [[spoiler: Killed Off for Real, then rendered Only Mostly Dead while the Doctor loses his personal memories of her]] at the end of Series 9, River Song becomes this for the Twelfth Doctor. Although his eleventh self married River at the end of Series 6 and they had offscreen adventures after that, "The Husbands of River Song" reveals she never actually believed the Doctor ''loved'' her, or anyone else for that matter. But Twelve is delighted to cross her path again, subtly jealous of her other husbands, and in the end proves his love for her by [[spoiler: preparing the final night they spend together at the Singing Towers of Darillium, and staying with her for that whole night, which turns out to last '''24 Earth years''']]. If that's not love...

* In ''Series/TeenWolf'', the OfficialCouple of Scott and Allison breaks up in the season 2 finale. Then in season 3B, Scott begins to fall for new girl Kira, and Allison gets together with Isaac. [[spoiler: However, on her deathbed, Allison confesses that she still loves Scott.]] By the final season, Scott has found a third love in [[spoiler: Malia Tate]], with him being ''her'' second love after [[spoiler: Stiles]].
* ''Series/{{Chuck}}'': Sarah is Chuck's second love after he has spent ''four years'' trying to get over his old college girlfriend Jill. Later in the series, Casey's daughter Alex becomes this for Morgan after his original girlfriend Anna [[PutOnABus leaves him]]. Before Chuck, Sarah also had a relationship with his former friend Bryce.
* ''Series/DrQuinnMedicineWoman'' and her beau (and later husband) Sully are this to each other. Her backstory includes a fiancé presumed dead in the Civil War, while his includes a wife who died in childbirth along with their baby.
* ''Series/VeronicaMars'' and Logan Echolls were in serious relationships and in love with the Kane siblings, Duncan and Lilly, respectively. Duncan's unexpected breakup with Veronica and Lilly's death set off a course of events that lead to Veronica and Logan falling in love with each other, though their relationship is very much on again/off again until [[TheMovie the]] [[Film/VeronicaMars movie]] where they finally commit to each other after spending nine years apart.
* ''Series/HoldTheSunset'': Both Edith and Phil have had previous relationships before, with Edith's previous husband being the father of Roger and Sandra, but both Edith and Phil's previous spouses are long dead by the time of the series, allowing the two to get together and become married.
* ''Series/{{Grimm}}'': Adalind, to Nick after having his baby. Their long adversarial relationship always had an element of UnresolvedSexualTension, despite their mutual loathing. A case where the SecondLove and FirstLove, Juliette, spent much of the series as mortal enemies. Becomes inevitable after Juliette becomes a Hexenbiest and makes a FaceHeelTurn. Later, the reformed Juliette, now known as "Eve," rightly perceives Nick's love for Adalind even when he is still reluctant to fully admit it. Adalind has by this point made her own full-on HeelFaceTurn. Nick's unexpectedly chivalrous treatment of Adalind after she reveals her pregnancy causes Adalind to fall deeply in love with her former nemesis, and she confesses that love much earlier than he does. Nick and Adalind also had as many as three instances of TheirFirstTime (when Adalind, disguised as Juliette, took his powers; when Juliette, disguised as Adalind, got them back for him; and when they knowingly and passionately made love for the first time in the loft--well after Adalind gave birth to their son Kelly). At one point, Juliette/Eve and Nick both admit to wonder how things would've turned out between them, had things been different, but, ultimately Julitete/Eve accepts that Nick is with Adalind now.
* ''Series/{{Lewis}}'' has the titular Robbie Lewis, whose wife Valerie was killed during the gap between ''Series/InspectorMorse'' and this series. After years of mourning her, he falls in love with resident pathologist Dr Laura Hobson, with whom he has been close friends for years. It's hinted, though not outright stated, that Laura has been quietly in love with him for quite some time before they finally get together, but never said anything as she knew how much losing Val had hurt him.
* At the beginning of ''Series/CallTheMidwife'', Dr. Patrick Turner, the local GP, is a recent widower. Over time he falls in love with Sister Bernadette, one of Nonnatus House's resident nun-midwives. Needless to say, the whole "nun" thing complicates their relationship significantly despite her falling just as in love with him as he is with her, but [[spoiler:after a bout of tuberculosis she leaves the Order to marry him and they remain happily married throughout the rest of the programme]].
* ''Series/AgentCarter'': After losing her first love, Steve Rogers, in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'', Peggy Carter spends several years grieving his loss before falling in love with Agent Daniel Sousa, who works with her at the SSR. The show ends with their RelationshipUpgrade, and WordOfSaintPaul (in this case Enver Gjokaj) confirms that Sousa is indeed the mysterious "husband" mentioned in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier''. Though Peggy never ''gets over'' Steve (as he was the love of her life), and carries a torch for him all her life, she does move on enough to live a long, happy life with Daniel, whom she clearly loves quite deeply.

* ''Series/{{Amen}}'': Thelma is apparently this to Reverend Reuben Gregory; his backstory includes a fiancée who left him at the altar.
* Series/{{Arrowverse}}:
** ''Series/{{Arrow}}'':
*** Oliver Queen ends up marrying Felicity Smoak, after [[ReallyGetsAround having been in a relationship with several other women]].
*** Oliver himself is this for Felicity. In "The Secret Origin of Felicity Smoak", it is revealed that her first boyfriend was a fellow hacker who eventually turns on her.
** Curtis Holt's husband, Paul, divorces him in the fifth season, because TheMasqueradeWillKillYourDatingLife. In the sixth season, he meets with SCPD officer Nick Anastas and dates him.
** ''Series/{{The Flash|2014}}'':
*** Iris West is a weird case, as both her major love interests are technically this for her. While she started a relationship with Eddie Thawne first, and loved him quite deeply, her OneTrueLove is her best friend Barry Allen, and Iris herself admits that she had loved Barry long before she had even met Eddie (they fell in love [[ChildhoodFriendRomance when they were kids, according to her]]), and just hadn't realized it yet. Thus, both men can function as this ''and'' as her FirstLove.
*** Before admitting his feelings for and ending up with Iris, Barry tries dating other women, namely Linda Park and Patty Spivot, but, again, TheMasqueradeWillKillYourDatingLife. His refusal to admit to Patty that he's the Flash explicitly leads to her moving away.
** ''Series/{{Supergirl|2015}}'':
*** Kara Danvers' first serious relationship is with Mon-El. Unfortunately, she's forced to send him away, after unleashing a lead-based weapon to drive off the Daxamite invasion. [[spoiler:His pod ends up being sucked into a wormhole that throws him into the 31st century, where he lives for 7 years (as opposed to the 7 months that passed for Kara). Unable to send any messages back in time, he resigned himself to a life without her and ends up marrying Imra Adeen, Saturn Girl. He still wears the pendant Kara has given him, but it's a reminder of their lost love and everything she has taught him about being a hero]]. Kara also had some previous attempts at a relationship with James Olsen, but it never went anywhere.
*** Alex's first relationship after coming out is with Maggie Sawyer, and the two nearly marry, but their differing opinions regarding children (Alex wants one, while Maggie doesn't) lead to their split. Later, Alex begins a relationship with James' sister, Kelly.
*** Winn Schott has a long-standing crush on Kara, but she doesn't sees him as anything more than a friend. He tries dating other women (notably Siobhan Smythe, who becomes a villain), before settling down with Ayla the Lightning Lass after he joins the Legion of Super Heroes.
** ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'':
*** Ray Palmer's fiancée, Anna Loring, died during the Mirakuru army's invasion of Starling City. He then forms a relationship with Kendra Saunders, but that ends when he realizes that her true love will always be Carter Hall. Much later, he is given a ShipTease with Damien Darhk's [[DaddysLittleVillain daughter]], Nora, before it turns official. They marry in season 5.
*** Before she settles with Ava Sharpe, Sara Lance had a passionate relationship with Nyssa al Ghul, which we saw in season 2 of ''Arrow''. Even before that, she dated Oliver, betraying her sister, Laurel, who was his very first girlfriend.
* With their omnipresent [[LoveTriangle love triangles]] and [[SuperCouple super couples]], [[SoapOpera soaps]] are rife with these. People's opinions even frequently vary on what character deserves this title. For example, it's a tossup as to whether Brooke or Taylor is this to Series/TheBoldAndTheBeautiful'''s Ridge following the death of his beloved first wife Caroline.
* ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'':
** Blanche disapproves of her father's engagement to a much younger woman, but her father explains that if you can even ''think'' of marrying again after losing the love of your life, you're incredibly fortunate. She thinks he's referring to losing her mother, but he tells her that his fiancée was widowed also and that they're both so grateful to have found love again that their age difference is irrelevant.
** In the final episodes of the series, Dorothy finds a second love with Blanche's widowed uncle, Lucas Hollingsworth.
* ''Series/InterviewWithTheVampire2022'':
** Lestat de Lioncourt is Louis de Pointe du Lac's second love, the first man he has developed romantic feelings for since his [[ChildhoodFriendRomance childhood sweetheart]] Jonah Macon, who had to move away from New Orleans to find work.
** Louis is the second person that Lestat has fallen in love with after Nicolas, who died a long time ago.
--->'''Lestat''': Nicki passed on after he and I parted ways. It took me over a century to try again. ''(looks directly at Louis)''
** Armand is "the love of my life," according to Louis, who believes the third time's a charm after his relationship with Lestat falls apart.
* ''Series/SpartacusBloodAndSand'':
** Mira is a subverted one to Spartacus. He begins a relationship with her months after his wife's death, but is still in love with Sura and [[TheMourningAfter makes it clear he always will be]]. Spartacus tries to love Mira as much as he can, but it's [[CompetingWithACorpse not enough for her]] and it finally leads to their breakup in ''Vengeance'' (though they remain amicable).
** In ''War of the Damned'', Sibyl becomes Gannicus' second love years after the death of Melitta, the first woman he ever truly loved (the situation was far from ideal given Melitta was already married to his best friend, which caused both of them a great deal of anguish). Sibyl could be considered his ''third'' love if one counts his relationship with Saxa, whom he leaves for Sibyl, although they were FriendsWithBenefits more than anything (albeit it's implied Saxa did develop deeper feelings for him), while it's made clear that Gannicus falls in love with Sibyl and is prepared to sacrifice himself to guarantee her freedom and safety.

* In ''Manga/CaseClosed'', Sato [[spoiler: lost her FirstLove Matsuda to a terrorist attack]]. Since she's in a LoveTriangle with Takagi and Shiratori, either of them will be her SecondLove. [[spoiler: Takagi is the one she falls for]].

* ''Anime/EurekaSeven'' featured two examples by way of a LoveDodecahedron. Before getting together, Holland and Talho each had a lover, [[spoiler: Renton's sister Diane and Holland's own brother Dewey, respectively.]]