Landon stubbed out his cigarette, and his gaze slowly turned calmer and firmer.
Christine had come to Harbor City, and she had invited him up that night.
If the woman he loved came to him and he still lost her, then Landon would never deserve happiness.
The night before I left Harbor City, I went out for drinks with Linda.
“How are things with Landon?” She asked.
Linda gave me a once over, “Just look at you. You’re positively glowing. It’s obvious from your skin that he’s been treating you very well.”
“I should stop leading him on. I don’t want a relationship and I don’t want to get married,” I said.
Linda replied, “Christine, why are you punishing yourself for someone else’s mistakes? And more than that, this is unfair to Landon. Just because your ex was an asshole doesn’t mean your next relationship should suffer.
“Hansen was trash, but Landon is a good man that you can rely on. Why are you letting your views of Hansen
affect your views of Landon?”
I responded, “I’m not being unfair to him. I’ve just not gotten over everything yet.”
Linda retorted, “It’s not that you haven gotten over everything yet. You’ve just been manipulated by that asshole Hansen for seven years. You don’t think you deserve love or happiness anymore.”
I found myself stunned into silence.
Was that true?
The pain brought by years of breaking up and making up. All that overwhelming insecurity.
It made me instinctively start to doubt everyone and everything in the world.
Had I convinced myself that I would never have someone’s sincere love?
But why couldn’t I obtain that?
People who betrayed love deserved endless punishment. But if one could love sincerely, then surely fate would open up a new path.
“Babe, do you even realize how amazing you are?” Linda pulled me into a hug. “You’re gorgeous and hot. You were already making your own money back in university, and even taking care of me at the same time. You’re beautiful, independent and kind. If I was a man, I’d die to marry you!
“You deserve to be loved, Christine. You deserve love from the best man out there. You shouldn’t waste yourself on someone like Hansen. Trust me, babe. One day, he’s going to regret this. He’ll never get over losing you for the rest of his life.”
