It was another hot night in Houston. Indoor air-conditioning was incentive enough to keep the lonely indoors while another steamy episode of Heartbreakers played on the radio.

"H-hello m-my name is Susanna Jor—"

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, Susanna," the smooth voice of Dr. Alexis Reyna, relationship therapist and host of Heartbreakers, came across playfully over the airwaves, "but we don't use full names here on Heartbreakers. We actually try to use catchy nicknames like Horny in Houston or Tired in Texas. Would you like to try making up a nickname for yourself?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I should know that. I listen to you all the time, Dr. Reyna. I-I guess you can call me called Scared. Scared Susanna."

"Scared Susanna? You haven't even asked your question yet and I'm already concerned. To all of you listeners out there, I want you to please take note of what we're about to say because I have a feeling Scared Susanna is about to ask me a serious question. Am I right, Susanna?"

"I am...I mean I do. I do have a serious question," Susanna's voice trembled slightly over the air.

"Well I'm here to help you. Ask when you're ready."

"I have a boyfriend. We've been dating for almost a year. He's handsome, has a good job, and he's really smart," Susanna explained.

"Well he sounds like a keeper. Why am I sensing a 'but' is on the way?" Alexis asked.

"To be honest, I always thought he was too good for me. I never understood why he'd be willing to go out with someone like me. I'm not the most beautiful person or the smartest and he's just...he's just perfect. At least I thought he was."

Alexis waited for Susanna to pause before interjecting, "I want to tell you something and I hope everyone listening tonight remembers this and takes it to heart. When it comes to being in a relationship, never tell yourself you're not good enough for someone else. That's not your decision to make. Even if the most handsome man in the world starts to pursue you, I don't want you to question whether or not you're good enough. If he thinks you are...then you are. When you let insecurity become the third wheel in a relationship, you're setting yourself up for disaster. Insecurity only invites doubt, suspicion, and resentment which are all ready and able to ruin a relationship."

"I know you're right, Dr. Reyna. I need to be more confident."

"Scared, you said you thought he was perfect. What made you realize he wasn't?" Alexis asked as she began taking notes on a legal pad she usually used for clients.

"Believe it or not, it started because of Facebook. I always thought his jealousy was kind of endearing but then it wasn't. He became a little controlling and would even refuse to take me out if I was dressed in heels or short skirts. He never wants to hang out with my family. It is always just the two of us and yesterday he told me to close my Facebook account."

"Did you have an argument because of Facebook?"

"He said I was using it to flirt with other men. He practically ordered me to deactivate my account."

"So what did you do?" Alexis looked up at her producer, Mack, who was giving her the thumbs up.

"I told him I would close my account."

Alexis took a breath before speaking, "Did you want to close your account?"

"No, it's how I keep up with friends and family. It's not as though I was using it to hook up with random guys. So I lied. I told him I would close my account but I didn't. I know relationships are about compromising but I feel like I'm the one that's constantly giving in to his demands. To his jealousy. Am I wrong?"

"Well Ms. Scared, I'm not here to tell you if you're right or he's wrong. Instead, I want to know whether or not you feel happy in your current relationship."

"What do you mean?"

"It's a simple question," Alexis explained. "I want you to think about what expectations you have for a relationship. Do you want to feel loved, safe, cherished? Are these expectations being met? Are you happy?"

"I...I don't know."

"That's your answer," Alexis said softly. "You should listen to your heart, Susanna. If he's acting this way now, it normally won't get better unless he seeks help for his controlling behaviors."

"He doesn't believe in therapy."

Alexis laughed at the insult. "If he's not willing to see a therapist, what do you plan to do?"

"I'm not sure I can keep giving in when it comes to his demands. I should break up with him, right?"

"Are you asking me for permission?" Alexis countered.

"I don't know."

Alexis noticed her producer was giving her the signal to wrap it up. Alexis nodded. "I never tell someone to break up or stay together. That's something you have to decide on your own."

"You're right. I'll do it. I'll break up with him. I can't be in a relationship that makes me unhappy. We're done. When he comes over tonight, I'll tell him we're through."

"That's very brave of you, Susanna, but if he's as controlling as you say, I would suggest not breaking up in a private place. It may be safer for you to break up in a public place."

"No! I have to do it tonight before I chicken out. Thanks, Dr. Reyna. This is why I love your show!"

"Susanna, listen to me...hello? Hello?" Alexis looked over at Mack. He signaled that the caller had hung up.

"Well, it seems Scared Susanna isn't so scared anymore. I hope you stay safe and make wise choices tonight, Susanna. For those of you in similar situations who aren't brave enough to call in, I hope you find some courage tonight as well to do what's best for you. Our show is almost done. That means it's time I read you a letter from one of our listeners. This is an e-mail from Healing Bruises.

Dear Dr. Reyna,

I called you last year because I was in an abusive relationship. I thought I was lucky. My friends told me I should be grateful to meet such a great guy. To everyone, he was like some prince who came to rescue me from singlehood.

I'd be lying if I didn't think that too. When you're in love with someone, you tend to make excuses for them. He didn't mean to make me cry or he must not have realized how hard he was squeezing my wrists. It didn't take long for him to become abusive. It was like he needed to show his power over me.

After I started listening to your show, I realized I was in a toxic relationship and I deserved better. Thanks to you, I was able to escape from him. Now I'm in a better relationship and I'm about to get married. I owe it all to you. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart I thank you. I truly believe that if I had stayed with him, I would probably be dead right now. Come to my wedding! I'm including an invitation. I hope to see you there!

-Healing Bruises"

Alexis smiled while clicking away from the e-mail Healing Bruises had sent.

"I'm happy for you Healing Bruises and I would love to come to your wedding. Scared Susanna wherever you are, please be safe tonight. Alexis leaned into her microphone and closed as she did every night. "From us here at Heartbreakers, we're wishing you a little romance, Houston. May the love of your life come find you."

Unfortunately, not everyone was indoors listening to Heartbreakers. On the busy streets of Houston, a lone driver was making his way to his girlfriend's house.

"Unbelievable," he muttered under his breath as he listened to Dr. Alexis Reyna deliver her closing line. He switched off his radio and gripped his steering wheel.

He had recognized the voice of the woman who called herself Scared Susanna. That was his Susanna. Susanna Jordan.

"She wants to break up with me? To leave me? Not this time."

Like his last girlfriend, Susanna listened to Heartbreakers on a weekly basis. Every Saturday night, Alexis Reyna would get on the air and dispense her relationship advice to the women of Houston and its surrounding areas. She was too full of herself as far as he was concerned. It was because of her that he lost his last girlfriend.

He drove up to the familiar two-story house and let himself in with the key Susanna had given him a few months prior.

"Oh, you're here early," Susanna said, nervously pushing her hair behind her shoulder. He was quick to notice she didn't come and kiss him as she normally did. He realized she hadn't been doing that for several days now.

"Anything exciting happen today?" he asked before shrugging out of his suit jacket.

"N-no. Nothing too exciting. After dinner, I think there's something we need to talk about."

"Is it important?" He stretched his mouth into a smile as he hung up his jacket.

She kept playing with her hair and her eyes dodged around the room, landing on anything but him.

"A little," she whispered.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you."

"Nothing. I forgot I left my phone upstairs. I-I'll be right back." She started to walk up the stairs when he began following her. She looked over her shoulder. "You don't have to follow me. I'll be right down."

He smiled. "I know, babe. I want to follow you."

She twirled a strand of hair around one of her fingers. "Umm...okay."

He followed her into her bedroom, his eyes noticing his picture on her bedside table. Everything had been going so well in their relationship. How could she suddenly change her mind?

Susanna grabbed her phone and turned on her heels. "Listen, maybe we shouldn't wait until after dinner. This is important."

He stood in front of her and placed his hands on both of her shoulders. He would give her one more chance. "Babe, whatever it is...we can work it out together. You look scared. What's going on?"

She shrugged her shoulders and took a step away from him. "I just feel like lately you've been very demanding."

"Demanding? How so?"

"Don't get mad but like how you're always telling me not to wear dresses or makeup. How I can't go out with my friends or sisters. You didn't even want me to have a Facebook account!"

"I see. So, you think your boyfriend not wanting you to dress like a whore, hang out with whores, or talk on the Internet like a whore is bad."

"Whore? Wh-what are you talking about? When have I ever dressed like a whore? Why would you even say that?"

"Susanna, why don't you just say what you want to say? Say that you want to break up with me."

Susanna's mouth fell slightly open before her eyes narrowed. "Fine. You're right. I want to break up!"

After throwing her verbal a bomb, the room became silent, the repercussions of what she just said flying all around them as agony roared inside him. They stared at one another for several beats. Once again, Susanna twirled a piece of her hair around her finger, her eyes on the floor like a bad child waiting for her punishment.

"Don't worry. I'm not mad," he said softly, holding both his palms up in a defensive gesture.

Susanna's head jerked up, her eyes wide. "What? You're not mad?"

He lips curled up. "I'm not mad. I'm actually kind of relieved."

"Relieved? I don't understand."

"Susanna, I've been wanting to call it quits for a few weeks now but I didn't know how to tell you. I thought if I started acting like a jerk you would dump me but you didn't. Then I felt guilty because I thought you must really loved me to put up with my behavior."

"What? Wait...what?" Susanna was running her hands through her hair in confusion. "I'm not understanding. You wanted me to dump you?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

His smile faded. "Does it matter why? We both want the same thing, don't we?"

He turned to leave when she grabbed his arm.

"Wait a minute. We didn't want the same thing. I only wanted to dump you because you were being possessive. If that was an act, I have a right to know why you don't want to date me."

"So, if I'm not being possessive or demanding, you would want to continue dating me?" he asked.

Her brows knitted together in confusion as she nodded. "Yes. Yes, I think I would."

He sighed heavily. "Fine, I guess we can try to make this work. I think I'd miss you too much if we broke up."

"Fine," she said a little too forcefully. "Let's go have dinner then."

She moved past him and headed to the stairs.

"Susanna?"

She looked over her shoulder at him. "Yeah?"

"So, if I hadn't been acting...you would've really broken up with me?"

She smiled and scrunched her nose. "Of course. You were acting like an ass. Thank God you were just pretending."

He nodded and placed his hands on her shoulders and began massaging them as they walked. "Yeah, thank God."

"Wait a minute." Susanna turned around to face him. They were standing at the top of the stairs when she asked, "You never told me why you wanted me to break up with you. It's such a strange thing to do. Why go through all that trouble? Why were you pretending to be obsessive and demanding?"

He kissed her on her forehead and whispered, "I love you."

"You love me?" She was still confused, "Then why did you want to break up with me? Why the big act?"

"Susanna, you're so beautiful but so damn slow sometimes."

"What?"

"I never wanted to break up with you."

"Then why were you acting like an obsessive jerk?"

He leaned in and kissed her cheek before whispering in her ear, "Because I am an obsessive jerk...and I wasn't acting. It's a shame you didn't appreciate me when you had me."

Before she could respond, he shoved her down the stairs. It happened so quickly she didn't have time to grab onto anything. He heard her neck crack before she hit the bottom of the stairs. He looked down at his girlfriend, her neck contorted in an odd angle. Her phone had been flung away from her body.

He slowly walked down the stairs, avoiding her body. "Tsk, tsk, Susanna. You shouldn't be so clumsy."

He picked up her cell phone and deleted her call to Heartbreakers. He took out his cell phone and dialed 911.

In a frightened voice worthy of an Academy Award, he responded to the operator, "My girlfriend just fell down the stairs! Please help her! She's not moving. I don't know what to do. She needs help!"

As he listened to the operator attempt to calm him, he thought of Heartbreakers.. This was Alexis Reyna's fault. She probably didn't know a thing about love. He wondered how she would respond to him and what guidance she'd give. Not that he'd take it. He thought of Alexis Reyna's closing line, "May the love of your life come find you."

He grinned. Find the love of his love? For once, he might just take the good doctor up on her advice.

A/N: Hello! Over the past year I have gotten quite a few requests to bring this story back. This is one of the first stories I ever wrote. I hope you enjoy it. If you are NOT reading this for the first time, please do NOT post spoilers. Yes, this story was on Chapters. (In case any of you were wondering) I only ever shared it on Wattpad and Chapters.

If you enjoy this story, please share, add it to your reading lists, vote, comment, and all that good stuff. I do have a new series with another psychologist that's currently ongoing. It's called Darling Minds...if you want to be awesome and check it out. Thank you for reading!!!

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