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?”

I sat on the balcony of my hotel room as I gazed at the serene beauty of the Swan Lake. There were couples strolling hand in hand around the lake and families of three with their children.

I looked on until the night fell but she still had not come back or replied to my messages.

If it was in the past, I would have been panicked and anxious. I would try to call her and send her messages. However now, I simply sipped my coffee calmly and did not have the urge to do those things.

It wasn’t until the deep hours of the night that I heard her footsteps. I was about to fall asleep at that time. She approached quietly, slipping her arms around me from behind. Her breath brushed against my ear as she whispered, "I'm sorry about today. It was an unexpected incident. Tomorrow, We’ll take a peaceful walk around the lake, just the two of us."

I gently removed her arms from around me.

Gemma was puzzled. “What's wrong? You’re not still upset over something so trivial, are you?”

I turned around and looked at her. “No, I’m not upset, because you won’t be here tomorrow.”

Her eyes looked deeply into my eyes for a long time before finally saying, “Nothing will keep me away tomorrow.

Then she took my hand and pulled me up. With affection in her voice, she said, “Let’s take a bath together. It’s my ovulation period tonight.”

The next morning, when we were eating breakfast, her phone buzzed again. She hesitated but eventually answered.

"Gemma, I’m having surgery today,” said Stefano. “Can you stay with me? I’ll feel much better if you’re there., without you I'll be anxious."

“I’m on vacation with Dominic Emerson right now. I can’t leave,” she replied while glancing at me.

I kept eating while looking coldly at her. My gaze must have shaken her because the woman who was usually cold and confident, looked a little in a daze and unsure.

Suddenly, a different voice came through the phone. "You must be my son’s boss, right? I'm Stefano's mother. He won’t go into surgery unless you’re there. He says he’d rather risk permanent disability than enter the surgery room alone. Please, I beg you."

“My son broke his leg and was hospitalized because he works for your company and works for you, as his boss, how can you be so cruel and turn your back on him?” she continued.

Then she added, "You can take your vacation whenever you want, but my son can't afford to wait! If you still have a conscience, please hurry over now and get my son into the operating room, count this as me begging you!”

Gemma hung up the phone and looked at me several times. It seemed she wanted to say something.

"Go ahead," I said flatly while watching her closely. “After all, it’s not like the surgery can happen without you, right? After all, you're his attending physician.”

I thought my sarcasm might make her reconsider. She was not a doctor, just an ordinary person. What could she possibly contribute to Stefano's leg recovery?

Yet, without any hesitation, Gemma got up and promised, "Once he's in the operating room, I'll immediately return here to accompany you!”

I stared at her coldly and didn't say another word.

Gemma's mouth opened and closed and finally, she said, “I know what you're thinking. Two hours. Tops! I'll go and come back quickly!”

She then left without another glance.

"Fuck! Just go then! I won't wait for you anymore! I said as I threw the gift that I was about to give Gemma to the trash.

After I checked out of the resort, I returned to the company.

Last year, the company opened a branch in another city and needed someone to manage it. When I brought it up with Gemma, she dismissed the idea.

Gemma told me, "There is no need for you to do that. I earn enough for us and we aren't short of money. There is no need for you to go far away to advance your career. If you need more money, you just ask me for it."

However, when Stefano talked about the importance of “a man’s career,” she took the matter seriously and wasted no time to personally promote him to become her marketing manager.

Back at the office, I approached my boss. "I’d like to take the transfer to the branch office," I said.

He beamed with happiness when he knew I was willing to go. “That’s excellent news, Dominic! I always knew you had potential. I'm glad you're willing to go. You are our best candidate. I’ll have HR process the paperwork immediately.”

I agreed with him and thanked him respectfully, "Thank you, Sir, for training me."

At home, I packed my belongings and posted on Instagram about my upcoming relocation. Many of my friends flooded the comments with well-wishes and asked where I was going. So, I responded to them one by one.

However, none of them are from Gemma. She even did not come home for the whole day either.

The next day, I had packed my things and was ready to leave. Knowing that I was going to relocate to another place, some of my friends came to say goodbye.

"Don’t forget us when you make it big!" one joked.

“Safe travels, Dominic,” said another.

“You won't know your way around in the new place. If you ever need help in there, don't forget to call us,” added a third.

Then someone looked around in confusion and asked, "Hey, where’s your wife? Why isn’t she here to send you off?"

I gave him a small smile. “We’re probably getting a divorce soon.”

Just as I finished saying this, my friends all changed their faces abruptly.

When I followed their gaze and turned around, I saw Gema who stood behind me in silence.