Page 6 of The Next Door Billionaire's Deception

“Listen to me. It’s been, what, three years? You’ve remained hung up on the past, refusing to move forward.”

I throw my hands up. Why does she have to bring this upnow?

“I am moving forward!”

Celine ignores me. “Try again. Meet someone new. Time heals all wounds, right? Well, love heals too. You should consider giving it another chance and …”

I rise to my feet. Celine stops talking.

“I thought we were over this already? What makes you think love is all I want, Celine?”

“Because I want you to be happy.”

“Oh. And you think love is all I need to be happy? For crying out loud, Celine! I don’t want to have this conversation. Period.”

“But I just want you to be happy.”

I grind my teeth and turn to face her.

“It’s obvious then that we'll have to redefinehappiness.We seriously have to. I’m not a sad woman, Celine. I have a good job and an impressive career. What else could give me happiness beyond these?”

Celine is in one of those moods. It’s clear in the resolute set of her jaw that she isn’t about to let this go. I love her to death, but sometimes, her determination to hold on to things can be infuriating.

“Life isn't all about your job or career. Happiness isn’t about material things. What’s an impressive career when you return to an empty house every day?”

I raise a brow. “You live alone too, Celine.”

She doesn’t laugh. “That’s not what I meant. I know you, Melissa. I know you’re only hiding behind this and that a part of you craves to be loved. You can hide it from yourself, but not from me.”

I slump back into the sofa with a weary sigh. I hate that she’s making so much sense. Celine sits beside me again. This time, she hugs me fiercely, so tight that the air is squeezed out of me. A lone tear drops down my left cheek as I shut my eyelids.

“We all have wounds from our pasts, but we can’t let those wounds prevent us from moving forward, healing, and finding love again.”

“You should give a TED talk.”

This time, she laughs. “It’s on my bucket list.”

“I’ll get the front-row tickets.” I turn to her with a grin. “I hate that you’re making sense.”

Her smile fades. “I know you do.”

“I’m not…” I release a shuddering breath. “I’m not ready for this.”

My eyes bore into hers as she pauses. Celine has always been one to tell me the cold hard truth, even if I don’t want to hear it. And that happens often.

“It's been years, Lissa. It's time to give love another chance. Let the pain slide and start afresh.”

“Just like that?” I ask, my eyes now brimming with tears that can't go beyond my eyelids.

Sympathy swims in the depths of her gaze, and her brows furrow. A lump forms in my throat. When she places her arm around my shoulder, I almost lose it. The words come tumbling it—words that paint a picture we’ve both seen.

“For two years, I spent my life showering love on some monster who didn't deserve it and never appreciated a pint of it. He played me and gaslighted me for years. While I thought we were building something together, he was ready to settle down with someone else. I thought I had found love; he knew he had found a love-starved jerk. I’ve spent years building back the parts of me he crushed. Is this what you want me to go through again?”

“He wasn't the right person.”

“And what guarantees the next will be the right person?”

She sits back and says nothing. Her lips fold inward, and she runs a hand down her face. I hold my head in my hands, patting it carefully from the side like it will rip open if my hands leave it.

---