Book excerpt: The time after a breakup is emotionally messy, sometimes chaotic and filled with conflicting feelings, motivations, hopes, temptations and realities that must be dealt with. Carmichael focuses on this confusing time, demystifying why it is so difficult to stay away from a problematic ex. She provides a roadmap through the sometimes perilous time when a woman's ex might try time-tested tactics to tempt her back, when self-sabotage may make a woman her own worst enemy, and when even our culture gets in on the action by making reunification seem reasonable.