Coaxing Her Back

I've been with Hansen Fullerton for seven years. One day, he tells me he's sick of me and dumps me for a younger, more vivacious woman.

I don't kick up a fuss this time. Instead, I throw away my ring and cut up the wedding gown I've just bought. Then, I take a red-eye flight away from Gold City.

His friends place bets on how long it'll take for me to return and beg for reconciliation.

Hansen sneers. "She'll be back in less than three days, crying and begging me to take her back."

However, more than three days pass without any news from me. Hansen loses his cool and calls me for the first time. "You'd better come back once you've had enough of this, Christine."

All he hears is a man's low chuckle on the other end of the line. "You shouldn't have taken this long to pacify a woman, Mr. Fullerton. Look at how someone's already taken her away from you."

Hansen snarls, "Tell Christine to answer the phone!"

Landon Shore lowers his head to kiss me. "She can't—she's still out of it. I have to kiss her awake first."

In the seventh year of being with Hansen Fullerton, I secretly bought a wedding dress and mustered up the courage to propose to him.

But unfortunately, I was a few minutes late to the gathering that night.

I happened to hear his conversation with his friends.

"You mean Christine? I got bored of her ages ago."

Hansen lit up a cigarette and smiled lazily. "It's been seven years. Wouldn't you be sick of her too?"

The group erupted in laughter. "That's true. No matter how beautiful a woman is, she'd lose her charm in seven years."

"But Christine Lane really is gorgeous."

"She has such a great figure. During one of Hansen's birthdays, every guy in the room couldn't stop looking at her when she had that dress on."

"Seriously, Hansen, you were so obsessed with her back then. Are you really willing to let her go now?"

Hansen said indifferently, "Have I ever lied?"

"So… You wouldn't mind if I go after Christine?"

Hansen exhaled some smoke nonchalantly. "Go ahead, as long as you don't find her gross."

"How can you be so pathetic? Why would you take someone Hansen's already tired of?"

There was another round of laughter.

That night, I didn't step into the private room. I left, saying that I had a headache.

Hansen did not even ask me about it before he hung up.

That night was probably when I made up my mind to end things.

A couple of days later, rumors started to spread crazily.

Hansen was chasing after a sophomore from a performing arts academy. She was said to be young and innocent.

His way of pursuing women had always been very grand and overwhelming.

Just like when he pursued me back then, he made sure the whole world knew about it.

He would throw around houses, cars, and