Well... let me just say that I've actually had, over the last 5 years, multiple opportunities to get into relationships with different women. A couple I really liked and thought 'maybe'... but passed.
So let me run down five of them that I am still in touch with:
CW: She is in a relationship with a guy who is currently emptying his savings to take her on trips. When he runs out of money, she will be gone.
EB: This one I REALLY liked, it was tough letting her go. The next guy that she got involved with she had a kid with him, he used to be a confirmed bachelor, now he is cleaning poop off of bottoms, and if this doesn't work out, well he has 18 years of child support to pay for this. He is not a happy man.
AF: Super hot, fitness model, daughter of a bank president. She was turning 30, and she got the itch to marry, I declined, the next dude she ended up with is one of the nicest dude you will ever meet, a man's man, hunting, fishing, great to go to football games with... in great shape and just an all round awesome dude... if I was gay I would fvck him. Three years later, he had to sell his lake house (which was totally cool) bought a sub-urban McHouse in a development, sold his awesome boat, put on 50 lbs, his business is a mess. Now the 'marriage' is in trouble.
MN: Long story, super hot especially for a woman that has two kids. Met her when she was separated from her hubby, in the process of getting a divorce, so I actually broke one of my rules dating her... don't mess with chicks that are still married, even if they are legally separated, but man... this was way too tempting. She really is great, across the board. I thought she was just dating me for fun, but I soon realized she was looking for a replacement for hubby.... when I passed on that 4 years ago, she went back to this poor b@stard, and has been torturing this dude since in an effort to 'work things out for the kids'. I've seen her out and about, just having drinks and lunches with other dudes... almost sure she is cheating on him... but he's still trying to make things 'work'.
BG: I've mentioned her before, she was my Viking goddess. Super hot. I passed on a commitment, then she married the next dude she dated. Again, this was (past tense) an awesome dude, really super nice good looking, had a ton of sh1t going for him. Now... well... he's changing diapers, gained a ton of weight. Now he looks like Fat Thor from "Endgame". She's still hot as hell.
All these chicks continue to stay in touch with me, ALL OF THEM, and I suspect with minimal effort I could get any of them back, but I don't think I want to end up in the wake of trash heap of dudes these chicks go though. Just know what you are getting yourself into. If you are going to end up in a relationship with a woman, remember this... if she is hot... she is going to be trouble... and there isn't a fvcking thing you can do about that. If you are dead set on getting into a relationship with a chick, you have to know you are going to have to find one that does not think she can do any better than you, this means she is going to be less attractive then you think you deserve, and even then you are going to have to BUTT YOUR @SS for the duration of the 'relationship' and ALWAYS be striving to be better today than you were yesterday.
There I said it: Good luck on your mission, relationships can be done... but keep your eyes open and your nose to the grind stone.