Subject: A whole lot of give and take
Dear Steve and Shirley, I’m a 28-year-old female and I was dating a man for 3 years and we broke up after Valentine’s Day because he found out I went to dinner with an old male friend. It wasn’t like I was hiding anything, but I didn’t tell him because I didn’t want to ruin our Valentine’s Day. He gave me a diamond necklace and a set of expensive luggage. Later, his sister told me he was going to take me to Hawaii and propose, but I messed all of that up since I chose to be a cheater. I assured her and my boyfriend that it was a simple dinner with an old friend who is happily married. I think it was his sister that snitched on me. My soon-to-be fiancé told me that he’s glad he found out about me before he proposed to me. I thought that was extreme, but then things got worse and I realized how lucky I was for getting dumped. This man came to my house to gather up every gift he ever gave me, down to a set of dominos he had made for me. He brought his 40-year-old female cousin as his bodyguard, so I called my sister over for reinforcement. In the end, he left with a few things. Then he took me to court to take the necklace back and to get his name off of our lease. He knew that I could not afford the apartment on my salary so that was pure evil. He looked me in the eyes, in court, and said he does not love me anymore. I couldn’t believe what was happening. My father made sure I was able to keep the apartment and I have tried to move on and date again. But recently, my ex popped up at my apartment, apologizing and crying. My old feelings for him came rushing back and we made love that night. Seems like he’s truly sorry. Should I give him a second chance to see if he’s changed? Please advise.