Blurb：
After seven years with Hansen Fullerton, Christine Lane is brutally dumped for a younger woman, Mindy. Humiliated by Hansen’s cruel bets with his friends, Christine disappears from Gold City without a trace. When Hansen finally calls, expecting her to beg, he’s shocked to hear Landon Shore’s voice instead. Landon mocks Hansen’s failure to keep Christine, revealing she’s now with him. This emotional story explores betrayal, revenge, and new beginnings, perfect for fans of dramatic romance and strong female leads. Dive into Christine’s journey as she transforms heartbreak into empowerment, with Landon Shore as the unexpected hero who shows her true worth. Keywords: Hansen Fullerton, Christine Lane, Landon Shore, Mindy, Gold City, wedding dress, betrayal, reconciliation, seven-year relationship.
Content：
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.”
Chapter 1
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 jewelry like they were nothing.
The woman had never experienced anything like this. She was completely smitten within days.
Hansen even brought her along to a gathering that was scheduled by some friends.
The moment he entered, everyone fell quiet.
A few close female friends looked at me with some worry.
I smiled. “Why did everyone stop talking? Why are you all looking at me?”
Hansen pulled the woman into his arms before he looked at me. “Christine, this is the perfect opportunity for me to make things clear.”
I answered, “Yes, go ahead.”
He continued, “Things have been going on and off for us for years, and it’s getting boring. Our feelings for each other have dimmed too.”
I clenched my hands tightly, and the ring on my middle finger dug into my skin.
But I couldn’t even feel the pain.
“Mindy is young and innocent. I really like her and don’t want to do anything to hurt her,” Hansen said, stroking the woman’s hair. “I need to treat her properly.”
I nodded. “Yes, I understand.”
Hansen remarked, “We’ll still be friends after this. If you ever need any help, you can come find me. I’ll take care of you as long as you’re still in this city.”
“Let’s not.” I let out a laugh as I stood up. “Since we’re breaking up, let’s make sure it’s a clean one. I don’t want to cause any misunderstandings.”
Hansen raised an eyebrow in surprise before he said, “That’s true.”
I replied, “Then enjoy your gathering. I’ll head out first.”
“You want the driver to send you home?” Hansen offered.
“There’s no need, I’ll take a cab,” I said.
I walked out of the room, and when I closed the door, I heard someone ask a question.
“So, how long do you think Christine will last this time?”
Chapter 2
“Two days?”
“She seems really angry this time. I’ll bet on a week.”
Hansen glanced at the door, which hadn’t fully closed yet, and let out a cold smile. “She’ll come crying back in less than three days.”
“It’s been the same all these years. It’s honestly getting tiring to watch.
“That’s true. There’s no way Christine would leave you. Everyone knows how madly in love with you she is.”
I let out a self-deprecating laugh and tightened my grip on my purse as I walked to the elevator.
Back at my apartment, I went to the corner of the closet and took out the wedding dress.
I had waited six months for it, but unfortunately, I would never get the chance to wear it.
The wedding dress was custom-made, so there was no way I could refund it.
So, I simply grabbed a pair of scissors and cut it up.
After all, it would just be an eyesore for Hansen if I left it there.
Before I left, I took off my ring and put it on the coffee table.
I didn’t take much with me. Other than my personal belongings, I left everything else behind.
After a moment of thought, I left Hansen a note.
It said that he could deal with the house and everything in it as he pleased. There was no need to ask me.
I booked an early morning flight to Harbor City.
My best friend had gotten married there earlier in the year. It was the perfect excuse to visit her and clear my head.
My best friend, Linda Moore, invited me out to shop and have some afternoon tea.
In the evening, there was a small gathering with some old classmates and friends.
After a few rounds of drinks, someone opened the door and entered.
A few of our old female classmates lit up immediately. “Landon Shore? What a rare guest.”
“Yeah, big shot, what brings you here tonight?”
Landon replied, “I had a meeting next door. I heard about the gathering here so I thought I’d drop by.”
As Landon spoke, his gaze lingered somewhere for a moment before slowly moving away.
Linda pinched me discreetly, “Christine, he’s here for you, isn’t he?”
I looked at Landon in my drunken haze.
He was slightly taller than Hansen and was dressed in a black coat over a matching business suit.
Landon was incredibly handsome and had a well-built physique as well.
I squinted at him for a moment before I shook my head. “There’s no way. We haven’t kept in touch for years.”
But Linda ignored me and called out to Landon. “Landon, can you do me a favor and send Christine home later? We’ve all been drinking, and I wouldn’t feel safe letting her get a taxi.”
I froze and looked up at Landon.
Landon looked right past the crowd and at my face.
After about two seconds, he nodded. “Alright.”
“Thank you, Landon,” Linda replied.
She grinned and leaned in to whisper in my ear, “Christine, seven years with one man is such a terrible waste no matter how you look at it. If Hansen can play around, then why don’t you start anew? Besides, Landon is top-tier. It’d be a waste if you didn’t make use of him.”
I scoffed. “How do you know he even wants to sleep with me?”
Linda said, “Babe, he’s practically undressing you with his eyes. Believe me, I’ve dated 18 men. I’m much more experienced than you are.”
Landon drove me back to my hotel.
When we arrived, I unbuckled my seatbelt and thanked him. “Thanks for sending me back.”
Landon glanced at me. “You’re welcome.”
I opened the door and was about to step out when Hansen’s words from that night suddenly sprang up in my mind.
Before I knew it, I blurted out, “Do you want to come up for some tea?”
Landon started kissing me in the elevator.
I was already tipsy, and his kiss was so forceful that I nearly lost my breath.
“Cameras…” I panted as I felt my cheeks flush red.
My legs weakened, and I had to hold on to his waist to stay standing.
Landon glanced at the security camera and turned slightly to adjust the angle. Then, he kissed me again.
When we reached my room and I swiped my keycard, he suddenly stopped me. “Christine, I can still walk away now if you don’t want this.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” I tilted my head to look at him. Then, I pulled him closer with his tie. “You’ve already kissed me senseless, how could you talk about walking away?”
Chapter 3
Landon suddenly laughed. He reached out and brushed his fingertip against my slightly swollen lips. “Then, it’ll already be too late even if you regret it later.”
It was our first time, and Landon didn’t even wait until we got to the bedroom.
My back hurt a bit rubbing against the wall, and I couldn’t stop myself from biting him. “Landon, are you a beast? Don’t you know how to be gentle?”
His scorching hot palm rested on my back.
After that, he panted as he kissed my neck. “Christine, I can’t hold back any longer…”
After five minutes, I finally understood what he meant.
Landon carried me to my bedroom, and I buried my face in the pillow as I laughed uncontrollably.
“Landon, how long has it been since you’ve been with a woman?” I asked.
Landon looked at me seriously. “It’s been a while. I’ve been busy with work these past few years.”
I looked at him in surprise, and I felt my laughter fading.
A moment later, tears suddenly welled up in my eyes. “I’m so sorry Landon, I…”
Stained you.
“Christine, what are you saying?” Landon seemed a bit flustered by my crying.
He wiped my tears clumsily, but they never stopped flowing.
“I shouldn’t have messed around with you,” I said.
“But you already have,” Landon said.
He leaned down and cupped my face as he looked at me, saying with a serious tone, “Christine, since you’ve already started this, then you need to see it to the end.”
On the seventh day in Harbor City, Jerome Sloan, a friend from Gold City, suddenly sent me a message. “Christine, when are you coming back to Gold City?”
I replied, “I don’t have any plans to return for now.”
Jerome: “Everyone misses you. Jorgie’s birthday is in a few days. Why don’t you come back and join us?”
Me: “No, just send him my regards. I’ll send a gift over.”
Jerome: “Alright then. Take care of yourself.”
In the room, Jerome handed his phone to Hansen. “Hansen, why don’t you call Christine? She’ll definitely listen to you.”
Hansen stared coldly at the words on the screen.
Then, he suddenly stubbed out his cigarette and stood up. “If she doesn’t want to come back, then she can just rot there.”
“Hansen, don’t be angry. Christine is probably just really upset right now.”
“Yeah, she even took her ring off this time. It looks like she’s really heartbroken. Honestly, you went a bit too far with that girl…”
“It’s already over between us. What else does she want?”
Hansen suddenly snapped in anger. “Listen up, none of you are allowed to contact her. Not even if she dies!”
“Alright alright, we won’t. Calm down, you just went to the hospital with a bleeding stomach two days ago.”
“You only stopped having stomach issues when Christine was around. It’s only been a few days, and you’ve already wrecked yourself…”
Every word they said made Hansen’s face darken even more.
By the end, he simply grabbed his coat and stormed out.
The cold wind hit his face when he stepped outside, but Hansen still felt his chest burning with frustration.
That damned woman. It’s been seven days, and Christine hadn’t even sent him a text.
So, she was really trying to play this game?
Hansen coldly pulled up her number and blocked it.
She’d better not come back crawling to him.
This time, he swore he wouldn’t go soft on her like he always did.
…
Landon called just as I finished typing up the last line of my manuscript and hit the formatting button.
I had been writing magazine columns since university and built up a decent reputation.
Then, I went full-time after I graduated.
Thanks to this, the income was pretty decent.
The freedom made things even better. I could take my laptop and work from anywhere.
So, after the breakup, there was no reason to stay in Gold City just to drown in heartache.
“Christine, what do you want for dinner?” Landon asked with a clear voice. Suddenly, all my exhaustion from working in the afternoon was soothed.
I said, “My brain cells are fried. I’m too tired to think about it, so you pick.”
He said, “How about some fondue? I know a place with amazing bone marrow. You’ll love it.”
Chapter 4
Whenever I ate fondue, I always liked ordering some bone marrow as a side.
But Hansen said it looked disgusting, so I gradually stopped.
But I vaguely remembered that Landon had always been someone who enjoyed lighter foods.
“You don’t have to go out of your way for me, Landon. I’m not picky with my food anymore,” I said.
Landon explained, “I feel like having it too. I still remember that place in the cafeteria that made Cajun food at university. Their bone marrow was really nice.”
Hearing him bring that up made me crave it even more. That place was really good.
I ate there for four years and never got sick of it.
“Alright then, fondue it is,” I agreed.
Landon offered, “I’ll go pick you up right now.”
“Okay.”
Landon took me to a fondue restaurant in Harbor City that had been around for years.
The place was quite old, and it wasn’t that large either, but it seemed to do very well.
But with his full suit on, Landon seemed out of place in this setting.
I watched as he carefully wiped my chair with a napkin.
He seemed oddly practiced in handling these small tasks despite being a rich heir.
“Landon, your ex-girlfriend must have trained you well,” I couldn’t help but remark.
Unlike me, with seven years in an on-and-off relationship.
The only time I felt really cherished was when Hansen first started pursuing me.
After I graduated from university and moved in with him, I felt like a full-time caretaker.
Hansen had a weak stomach, so I learned how to cook and make nourishing soups.
I took care of everything for him like a devoted little wife.
But now I finally understood.
I loved him so much that I had lost myself. I even forgot the simplest rule in love, which was to love oneself first.
How could I have expected his feelings to last forever?
Landon put some food on my plate and glanced at me. “Who told you I had an ex-girlfriend?”
I was stunned for a moment. “Weren’t you always with a girl during university? I think you two even grew up together.”
Landon laughed. “Are you talking about Janice Lynn? We did grow up together, but we never dated. I don’t even like her. At most, I just saw her as my younger sister.”
I remarked, “Then you haven’t dated anyone over the years?”
Landon slowly rolled up his sleeves. “I’ve had a few arranged dates and met up with them briefly. Then, I just ended things since we weren’t suited for each other.”
“Oh, so there was nothing after that?” I lowered my gaze as I recalled his behavior that night.
His words seemed a lot more believable now.
“Christine, it won’t happen again next time,” Landon said suddenly.
I was confused by his statement. “What won’t happen again?”
He turned his face away and cleared his throat.
Maybe it was the heat from the fondue, but his ears were incredibly red. “You’ll see later.”
Landon scooped up some bone marrow and placed it on my plate. “Eat.”
It wasn’t until he sent me back to the hotel, until after I had showered, and until he carried me from the bathroom to the bed that I finally understood what he meant earlier.
But by then, I was completely exhausted.
“Landon…” I glared at him, but my eyes were rather misty, which just made it look attractive.
Even the way I called out this name didn’t carry any anger to it at all.
Landon lowered his head and kissed me gently. “Christine, did you feel good?”
I shook my head, refusing to answer him.
He didn’t get annoyed. He just kept tenderly kissing me again and again.
I couldn’t take it anymore. My body was so overwhelmed that tears started to form. “Landon…”
My nails scratched his back as my voice started to choke up a bit.
“Christine, tell me now. Does it feel good?” Landon’s eyes were incredibly red from holding back. The muscles in his arms were tense as his sweat dripped down my skin.
I finally broke down. “It does… It does feel good…”
Chapter 5
As my consciousness slowly slipped away, Landon whispered softly into my ear, “Christine, if it feels good, then never leave me, okay?”
The night of Jorgie Zayn’s birthday, I had a friend deliver the gift I bought in Harbor City to him.
Hansen sat on the couch, smoking. More than half of the bottle in front of him was already empty.
Landon had picked the gift with me.
It was a pair of vintage cufflinks from a high-end designer brand that he loved.
“These cufflinks are pretty nice.” Jorgie smiled stiffly. He glanced at Hansen’s face and didn’t dare to say much more as he hurriedly had his girlfriend keep the box.
“Hand them over,” Hansen said suddenly.
Jorgie hesitated for a moment but didn’t dare to refuse. He quickly handed the box over.
Hansen stared at the cufflinks.
The brand’s logo was discreet and almost unnoticeable, but Hansen stared at it for a long time.
“Put them away.” Hansen closed the box and pushed it aside.
Jorgie breathed a sigh of relief and quickly reached out to grab it.
But Hansen suddenly grabbed an empty bottle in front of him and smashed it violently against the coffee table.
Shards of glass flew everywhere, and a deep cut appeared on the back of his hand.
The room immediately erupted into chaos.
“What’s going on? Why did you suddenly lose your temper, Hansen?”
“That’s a nasty cut, and the bleeding isn’t stopping. You should go to the hospital…”
Hansen stood there, unmoving. His expression was dark and hostile.
“Christine has never bought anything from this brand before,” he said in a low voice that was hoarse and deep.
Jorgie hurriedly tried to laugh it off. “That’s nothing. Christine might have just picked something at random. It’s not like when she buys your birthday gifts. She always planned those months in advance.”
“That’s right, Hansen. The rest of us combined don’t even mean a tenth of what you do to her in her heart. Everyone knows how much Christine loves and cares about you.”
Hansen sneered coldly. “Cares about me?”
The crowd that had been so lively before gradually fell silent.
“Hansen, should I call Christine?”
“You really should get that wound treated first.”
Jorgie gathered up his courage and lifted up his phone to snap a picture of Hansen’s injured hand.
After that, he sent a message to me.
Hansen didn’t stop him, but it might just be because Jorgie had been too quick for him to react.
The room suddenly fell silent.
After about ten seconds, Jorgie’s phone rang.
“See? I knew Christine still loved you so much. Look, Hansen, Christine is calling!” Jorgie exclaimed.
Everyone in the room noticed that Hansen seemed to relax slightly.
“Hansen, are you going to answer it?” Jorgie held the phone out, but Hansen turned his face away and refused to even look at the phone.
Jorgie said happily, “Fine, I’ll answer it.”
He deliberately put the call on speakerphone.
The moment I answered, Hansen’s jaw tightened. “Jorgie, what happened? Did you get hurt?”
“It’s not me, that was Hansen’s hand. You won’t believe how bad it is. The blood won’t stop…” Jorgie rambled on, but the other end of the call remained completely silent.
Jorgie asked, “Christine, are you listening? Why don’t you come back here? Hansen is refusing to go to the hospital, but I can’t just keep letting him bleed like this.”
“Jorgie,” I said in my usual gentle voice.
“Yes, yes, I’m listening, Christine,” Jorgie responded eagerly, raising his eyebrows at Hansen.
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