No difference between a Knight and abuser?

In Raymond Carver's short story "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love," Carver depicts a middle-aged man named Mel, who believes he has enough authority over the subject to declare, that love is cut and dry. Such as, he believes Ed to be a bad man, who could have never possibly loved Terri, becuase of his violent nature. Mel has a very respectible understanding of love, when he declares it to be "that impulse that drives you to someone special" (133), yet he believes that love can easliy come and go from one's life. He is under the belief that if one were a Knight they would have the ultimate protection from heartbreak because they were, "pretty safe with all that armor" (135). However, even this dream is crashed when Nick abrubtly states,

"But sometimes they suffocated in all that armor, Mel. They'd even have heart attacks if it got to hot and they were too tired and worn out. I read somewhere they were to tired to stand with all that armor on them. They got trampled by their own horses sometimes"... "Thats right" said Mel "Some vassal would come along and spear the bastard in the name of love." (136)

Ultimatley revealing that whether your a crazy man like Ed or a portected Knight in Shinning Armor, you are diseptible to danger- whether thats a broken heart leading you to suicide or overcompensating and wearing to much armor; one stil suficates. Which leads him to drink more and more to avoid the painful realization that love is dangerous and there is no way to protect yourself from heartbreak.

Therefore, where does Mel go from this understanding? Is love really dangerous?