If you've been following this little blog for a while, you may have noticed that Tony has a hard time opening up and allowing himself to be loved. This, in fact, is one of his central tragic flaws. Unfortunately, the circumstances of his life don't really help him get over this. As a matter of fact, the circumstances of his life only exacerbate the issue! What we see above (from the end of Iron Man #22) is actually a fairly typical conclusion to one of Tony's affairs. Or, as I once wrote on Facebook:

You're a woman Tony's into. Do you...

A) die?

B) marry someone else?

C) leave when your presumed-dead husband is found alive?

D) go insane?

E) betray him?

-OR-

F) pretend you share his feelings to pull off a crazy conspiracy to destroy him because you're a STONE COLD BITCH?

Those really are the only options that present themselves in early Iron Man canon -- because early Iron Man canon is cruel as eff. No wonder Tony has issues!