On my birthday night, my wife posted a picture on her Instagram with her ex-boyfriend.

In the photo, the two stood shoulders to shoulders. The way they gazed at each other with the love in their eyes made them look like soulmates destined for each other.

Her ex-boyfriend was on the same wavelength as her. He also posted the same picture and added a caption, "Through countless trials, you're still by my side".

I quietly liked her post and commented, "I wish both of you happiness."

Not long after, my wife deleted the Instagram post and called me via video chat. She explained that she just wanted to keep a memory and asked me not to overthink this.

I chuckled bitterly and said, "I'm not overthinking." Then silently I lit the candle on the birthday cake on table. "I just curious, do you remember what day it is today?"

My wife's voice turned sharp as she mocked me mercilessly, "What game are you playing now? It's just a photo. Do you have so little tolerance?"

Once again, she had forgotten my birthday. So, I blew out the candles on the cake in front of me and ended the call. 

There was a time when I loved her with every ounce of my being. Now, all I could feel was regret.

——

When Gemma Bronson arrived home, it was already one o'clock late at night.

Before that, she had just posted on her Instagram "That year, I kissed his face and I truly believed it could last forever."

Underneath, she attached another photo, this time her ex-boyfriend who sitting in a car, was waving goodbye to the person taking the picture. His smile carried a hint of mockery as if he knew I’d see it.

It was clear he did it on purpose.

"Why are you still awake?" asked Gemma. She was surprised to see me sitting alone on the couch, watching TV in the dark. Yet, it was just a simple surprised, nothing more and without waiting for my answer, she turned around and headed for the bathroom.

Last time, when her ex-boyfriend called her late at night and said he could not sleep, Gemma became so worried that she ended up staying awake and chatting with him until three in the morning.

However, I, who had been her husband of seven years, only deserved a simple sentence of acknowledgment.

She tossed her clothes carelessly on the floor as she entered the bathroom and the sound of running water followed soon after.

Out of habit, I picked up her clothes, threw them in the washing machine and fetched her pajamas from the closet, leaving them by the bathroom door.

Since her ectopic pregnancy years ago, I would have gone out of my way to care for her and tended every detail of her needs. 

Yet, for some reason I did not know, the more thoughtful I was, the further away she drifted. It was just like the other day. When the rain started pouring hard, I weathered the rain to her office to give him an umbrella, only to see her give it to her ex-boyfriend without hesitation.

A short while later, Gemma emerged from the bathroom. She glanced at the pajamas I had chosen for her and frowned. Picking them up, she asked, "Why this one?"

"Which one do you want to wear?" I replied as I stood up.

"Today’s my ovulation day. You’ve always been particular about this before."

She gave me a look, it was heavy with insinuation. Before I could respond, she put on the pajamas and walked to the bedroom.

As the bedroom door closed behind her, I let out a bitter laugh. It seemed she did not care about my thoughts, not my feelings.

However, for her ex-boyfriend, she would drop everything to comfort him. 

Seven years of marriage and still no child.

We’d been to the doctor countless times and every time, they said there was no major issue. We just need to relax and let things happen naturally.

I had wanted a child so desperately. That desire had driven me to care for her obsessively, even memorizing her cycles better than she did. Whenever her ovulation period came around, I would always prepare that one specific set of pajamas. It was our unspoken ritual, a signal we both understood.

However, this time, I did not get those special pajamas for her. Yet she did not even realize that. I stayed silent for a long time before finally returning to the bedroom.

When I slid into bed and wrapped my arm around her, she shrugged me off impatiently. "I’m really tired. Can you not bother me?"

In the past, I would’ve coaxed her and worn down her resistance until she finally agreed. However, it was different this time. I just got up in silence and headed to the guest room.

She called out just as I reached the door. "I’m really tired today. I’ll make it up to you tomorrow."

She rarely said something like that. However, I was just too tired, emotionally and mentally.

"There is no need," I said then closed the door behind me and lay down in the guest room, unable to fall asleep.

Gemma and I meet in high school. Back then, she was like a tomboy, with her short hair and a brisk, no-nonsense attitude. Many of our classmates nicknamed her "Macho Girl." We weren’t particularly close at first. I was the top student in our class but often got bullied by some troublemakers at school.

One day I was cornered in an alley, being extorted for money again by the troublemakers when Gemma walked by. She didn’t stop to help, only glanced at me and mouthed a word, “Coward.”

That one word hit a nerve. It spurred me to fight back the bullies.

Of course, the outcome was predictable. I got beaten up by the three of them, but not before I managed to stare one of them dead in his face, knock out three of their teeth and break his nose.

The incident caused quite a stir. The bullies’ parents came storming to the school and threatened to call the police.

I was so scare at that time and hid behind Gemma. She deliberately stood in front of the parents' bully and looked them firmly." Go ahead and call the police. I dare you,” she said calmly.

“Your son has been bullying and extorting classmates," she told them. "Let’s investigate everything he’s done and see who really ends up in trouble. He might not go to jail, but expulsion is a sure thing.”

Her words left them terrified.

Then she turned to me and said, “Like father, like son. Don’t bother reasoning with people like this. Don’t offer them a single cent. If they want a fight, we’ll give them one.”

I stared at her, dumbfounded. She was just a girl, but she had more guts than anyone I’d ever known. Then she dragged me back to the classroom and I spent the rest of the day in a haze of anxiety.

In the end, the bully received a formal reprimand and I was merely called into the office to recount what had happened. The parents did not dare ask for compensation. To thank her, I treated Gemma to a meal. She didn’t hold back and I had to spend half a month’s worth of my allowance.

From that moment on, I enjoyed being around her.

When college entrance exams rolled around, I deliberately chose a school and major just to be with her, even though it meant lowering my standards.

When she found out, she confronted me directly. “Do you like me?”

I nodded without hesitation.

She smiled. “So, instead of chasing the class beauty, you’re after me? You’ve got good taste!”

After we started dating, she began to embrace her femininity. Her hair grew long over her shoulders, softening her once-boyish appearance and making her features more striking. No one mocked her as a tomboy anymore.

Later, she got pregnant. We were both young and overwhelmed, unsure of what to do. When we went to the hospital, we discovered it was an ectopic pregnancy. We were terrified.

That’s when I met her father and learned the truth that Gemma was the heiress of a wealthy family.

In the hospital room, her father stood there with a cold expression. He was pondering how to handle the situation.

However, Gemma grabbed my hand and declared, “Dad, I’m going to marry him. If you don’t agree, I won’t have the surgery.”

Her father was stunned. “Have you thought this through?”

She clutched my hand tighter. “I’ve never been more certain.”

At that moment, she was my everything. She was my world.

By our third year of marriage, she held me tightly one night, crying. “What if I can never have a child? Will you hate me?”

Without hesitation, I replied, “I’ll love you for the rest of my life.”

For a time being, we were blissfully happy.

It was when her father fell ill and she inherited the family business and became the CEO, she started to grow distant. I chalked it up to her stepping into her father’s shoes and thought perhaps aloofness was just in her nature.

Then she reconnected with her ex-boyfriend. When I saw the warmth that she showed toward him it made me realize her coldness was not genetic, it was just reserved for me. After seven years of marriage, everything had changed.

She no longer needed me or cared about my feelings and, perhaps, I didn’t need her anymore either. We were becoming strangers and letting go of each other bit by bit.

It was just like now, as we slept in separate rooms, without one lay beside the other and things seemed better this way.

Having stayed up too late the previous night, I groggily woke up the next morning only to find that it was already past nine o'clock in the morning. I was late for work!

I rushed out of bed and hurried toward the guest room, but to my surprise, Gemma had not gone to the office. Instead, she was in the kitchen, cooking. The thing was she had not cooked for the last three years.

"Are you awake?" she asked when she saw me enter the kitchen. Then she walked to the dinner table and placed a beef burritos on it. "You came at the right time for breakfast."

“No, thanks. I’m already late for work, I said as I hastily brushed my teeth.

I was ready to leave when Gemma's voice stopped me, "You don't have to be so worried. I've already taken care of it and asked for leave on your behalf.”

I froze for a moment as I stared at my reflection in the mirror.

She walked up behind me, wrapped her arms around my waist and leaned against my back. “I’m sorry. I was too busy yesterday and forgot your thirtieth birthday. I promised to make it up to you today.”

In my mind, I imagined myself pulling her hands away cruelly from my waist, just like she had done to me the night before.

It seemed like such a simple gesture, yet I stood there for a long moment, unable to do it.

After breakfast, she insisted I get in her car. When I sat I sat in the passenger seat and flipped down the sun visor and a few photos slid out.

I picked them up. They were the pictures of Gemma and her ex-boyfriend. In one of the pictures, he leaned over as if he wanted to kiss her, his lips barely an inch to her face, while Gemma smiling happily.

I could not help but recall that last year during her team building event of her company I also had proposed to do a similar post with her, yet she pushed me away with a distaste look on her face. “This is a public setting. Can you be more mindful of our appearances? Keep your distance from me, please.”

When she saw me staring at the photos, Gemma’s expression shifted a bit and said, "There is nothing interesting to see about those photos. They are just some photos that were taken by a colleague who was bored and fooling around.”

"So, you keep some random photos in your car, huh?" I asked and looked at her. "Two years ago, on your birthday, we had a picture together. I thought it was a nice one, but you didn’t like it and threw it in the trash.”

“Did I?” She feigned nonchalance. “I don’t remember.”

Without a word, she drove to a nearby dumpster and stopped. Then she looked at the photos in my hand with a fleeting hesitation before saying, “Throw them away. I don’t care about these.”

“They’re cute. Why do I have to toss them away?” I said and slipped the photos back into the visor.

Gemma gave me a strange look as if she was trying to figure out who I had become and maybe she was right because in the past I would have been jealous. Gemma would scold me for it, “Why are you acting so petty for just a small matter like this? You’re a grown man, not a child.” Then I would argue with her.

However, now I really did not care that much.

"Alright. " Gemma froze a while before she finally hit the gas, driving really fast.

We arrived at Swan Lake. This scenic retreat was perfect for relaxation and leisure and it was located on the outskirts of the city.

There was also a vineyard here. It was known for its fine food and wine.

I had told her many times before that I wanted to have a vacation and visit this place together, but she always declined my invitation, citing that she was busy with work.

However today, she took me here. After she parked the car, Gemma turned and gazed at me, then said, "I've cleared my schedule for the next two days because I want to spend those days with you."

Yet, before I could respond, her phone rang.

I took a quick look at her phone screen and saw it was her ex-boyfriend's name, Stefano Micheli, glaring there.

When I saw her hesitate, I promptly urged her, "Answer it. Maybe it’s something urgent at work.”

Gemma answered the phone and a woman’s voice came through. “President Bronson, something terrible happened. Stefano had an accident at the office and needs to be taken to the hospital. Please come right away!”

When Gemma ended the call, there was a look of panic on her face, "I …."

"No … no. Don’t worry about it,” I immediately said, because I did not want to hear her excuses. "If you feel the need to go, then go. It’s serious when someone gets hurt. As the company president, you should check on him. After all ….”

“Thank you for understanding!” Gemma cut my word before I could finish.

She seemed thankful about it. She looked at the car door and said, “Once I confirm he’s okay, I’ll come back right away. We still have two days away. You won’t mind to wait a little bit, right?”

I didn’t answer but got out of the car and watched in silence as she drove away, leaving me there.

Actually, before she cut my words, I was about to say. "Though you can choose not to go. After all, there are plenty of others in the company who can handle it. It doesn’t have to be you.”

Yet, she had left already. She drove away so fast that in the next second, even the tail of her car disappeared from my sight.

At the front desk, the receptionist who handled the check-in, looked at me in confusion, "Are you here alone?"

Without realizing it, my voice was a bit hoarse, "Yeah, it's just me. Though, can you give me a room with a king-size bed?”