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."

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…"

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.