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“I don’t know. I guess… it depends on one thing.”
“What?”
“If you want to.”
I glance up. “It’s not that simple.”
“We all make mistakes, Asia. Nobody’s perfect.” She sighs. “To be honest, I didn’t know about that pregnancy drama, but it doesn’t change the fact that Hansley is head over heels for you.”
“How are you so sure? How do we know he won’t change his mind in ten years? Or ten months?”
“Nobody knows what the future will bring. We just make the best, informed decisions we can now.” Elizabeth takes my hand and squeezes it. “With Brogan, I got to observe how he behaved around his mother and his little niece. I saw how patient and loving he was with them and I knew he was going to be the same with me. In Hansley, I see the same patience and care, especially when he’s protecting you. That man gets fierce.” She tilts her head. “Am I… wrong?”
“No.” I let out a breath as I think about all the ways Hansley’s silently taken care of me. “No. I… he even had me stay in the house.” I gesture to the lavish condo. “Even though we broke up, he still respects me as his wife.”
“See.”
“I don’t know, Liz. I can’t…”
“Is this really about whether or not Hansley’s going to be a father to an outside child or is there more?”
I chew on my bottom lip. “My list is very specific.”
“Okay.” Her eyebrows tilt down.
“I didn’t want a billionaire. I didn’t want a guy who’s stylish and handsome enough to have his face on billboards. I wanted someone average. Someone who looked average. Someone that wouldn’t attract any attention from girls or have millions of opportunities to cheat on me. I wanted…”
“Thad.”
I dip my chin down.
“But look, the guy who hit everything on your list still hurt you.”
I wince. “True.”
“That’s because what’s important isn’t if a man is a billionaire or if he’s average looking or hot. Even the ugliest men can cheat.” She points to her chest. “What matters is if that man has chosen you in his heart. Because once he makes a decision in his heart that you’re it, that you're the one, he’s not going to waver from it.”
“What if it’s my heart that’s the problem?”
She smiles confidently. “It’s not. You’re already so far gone I wouldn’t be able to rescue you with a submarine.”
“Hey!”
“At a certain point, you need to wake up and see what’s right in front of you. Hansley’s a real flesh-and-blood person with a real past and real flaws. He’s not a list. You can’t get married to those. Besides I heard they’re horrible in bed.”
I crack out laughing. “Elizabeth!”
She smirks. “Believe me, I know choosing love isn’t easy even if I’m making it sound like it is, but living your life in fear,” she pushes the divorce papers forward, “will make you miss out on something unbelievably great.”
I take her words in.
Sit on them.
Let it percolate in my mind for hours, even after Elizabeth leaves.
I walk into the bedroom with the divorce papers in hand, glancing at the bed where Hansley kissed me so desperately. Next, my eyes move to the exact spot on the carpet where we ended it.
My heart aches and moans. It’s a familiar agony, almost like an old house shifting in the wind.
