Love That Wasn't Meant to Last

Chapter 7

I had a dream that night.

"Selena will marry Hudson, and they'll be together forever and ever."

"I, Selena Norman, swear that I'll only love Hudson for the rest of my life."

"Hud, being with you is the greatest blessing of my life."

Dreams were strange things-they could bring joy or pain, and sometimes, they cruelly reminded you of everything you had lost. I could not quite explain this feeling, but that was exactly where I found myself at that moment.

When I woke up, I stared at the empty ceiling, feeling lost and confused. The memories of our happy moments still echoed in my mind, but Selena had destroyed it all with her own hands. A wave of sadness washed over me, and tears rolled down my face.

Why did Selena have to be the one who pursued me first? She promised to love me forever and swore she would only love me. Yet, she was the one who broke her words.

"Selena, I hate you," I thought to myself. "But I hate myself more for still thinking about you."

Unable to contain my emotions any longer, I buried my face in my knees. Maybe crying would help ease the pain. After all, my world would not stop turning just because one person left. Surely, I could still find a way to be okay on my own.

As I wallowed in my emotions, a woman's voice suddenly broke through."Hudson, you're finally awake."

bucket of cold water, instantly washing away my misery and replacing it with embarrassment at being

young woman with wavy hair and stunning features,

tears, she looked surprised, her shock evident on her

could not come up with an answer that would not make me sound even more pathetic, so I chose to remain silent. How could I tell her I was crying over my divorce and the woman

something, her face showed a hint of awkwardness before she, too, fell silent. With both of us quiet, the room's

around and noticed I was in an unfamiliar place, covered by a thin blanket and reeking faintly of

asked, confused. My head was pounding, and I could

woman watched me with concern as I winced in pain. She handed me a

pretty drunk last night and passed out at the bar counter. I was worried about leaving you there, but I didn't know where you lived. So I brought you back to

blushed. Her sears turned visibly red as she hurriedly added, "Hudson, don't worry-nothing happened between us. You just slept,

now after divorcing Selena, and while I'd like to pursue you, I'm still

meant and believed her when she said nothing had happened. It was

I learned that she was Sylvia Zanderson, a former classmate who had

roommates and project teammates. I was not close to many people, so I

former classmate left me a little stunned, maybe even a bit doubtful if she was telling the truth about us being college classmates. Sylvia could tell I was skeptical,

fair. I was pretty ordinary in college and barely spoke to you, so it's natural

know what to make of her,

time, I frowned, feeling an odd sense of