I saw my boyfriend, Vincent, outside a high-end restaurant with his childhood friend, Sophia, right after he’d disappeared for the tenth time.

He was swaggering, bragging to his friends.

"You have to train women. You can't be too good to them. You have to keep them guessing! I even got Alessandro to 'protect' her for me. I'll make my big comeback when the time is right."

When I got home, I looked at the handsome, imposing Alessandro.

I slipped up behind him, lacing my fingers with his. My nose brushed against his shoulder, a deliberate accident.

"Alessandro," I murmured, "since Vincent doesn't want me anymore... why don't you have me instead?"

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1

After Vincent vanished for the tenth time on a "secret mission," I spotted him on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

He was holding court with a few friends in front of a three-star Michelin restaurant, a smug grin plastered on his face.

"Vincent, this mission of yours must have been, what, two weeks now?"

"Yeah, so what if it's been two weeks?" Vincent's nonchalant voice drifted over.

"Man, isn't Elena going crazy with worry?"

"Seriously, she cares about you so much. How could you just abandon her like that!"

"Exactly, don't be so selfish. Just go back to her! A girl can only take so much."

Vincent cut them off with a lazy drawl.

"Mission? Of course it's fake. A man has to maintain a sense of mystery at all times. That's what makes women cling to you."

"I have Alessandro keeping an eye on her for me. When the time is right, I'll show up again."

"Vincent, you’ve got some serious game. How did you even come up with this 'secret mission' trick?"

"That was all me, of course!" A girl beside him proudly slung her arm over Vincent's shoulder.

"With that pea brain of his, you think he could come up with such a brilliant idea?"

Vincent laughed, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "Oh, shut up, Sophia! But you're right—when this is all over, I'll be sure to reward you handsomely!"

The girl smirked, leaning closer to his face, her long fingers stroking the man's Adam's apple.

"Vincent, how do you plan to reward me, hmm?"

I didn't confront him. I just quietly slipped away, melting back into the shadows of the street corner.

I turned and headed for the supermarket, methodically picking out an armful of fresh vegetables and prime cuts of meat.

After getting home, I came up behind Alessandro, who was in the kitchen preparing dinner.

"Any leads on Vincent?"

"No," I murmured, my nose brushing against Alessandro's ear as if by accident.

"What should I do? This time, I think Vincent might really be gone for good."

Today, I had originally planned to go to my aunt's gallery in Midtown for help.

She's been running a chain of galleries in Manhattan for decades and is very well-connected.

The first time Vincent disappeared on a "mission," she was the one who helped me find him.

Back then, I hammered on his door for an hour before he finally opened it.

He was wearing a slightly disheveled bathrobe, leaning roguishly against the small table in the entryway.

I had been looking for him for three days, unable to eat or sleep, driven mad with worry.

Without a word, my eyes red, I tackled him to the ground.

"Elena... Elena, you can't live without me, can you..."

"Vincent, I just can't!"

"You just vanished! Where the hell were you? I was sick with worry!"

"Ah, Elena, don't..."

"Are you going to run away again?" I panted in his ear.

"Do you dare?"

His arms wrapped around my neck, and he spoke, breathless and satisfied, "Elena, I swear, I'll never run away again..."

I should have known. The first time was just the beginning.

Over the past three years, his disappearances had become more and more frequent.

If I said one wrong thing, if I did something that didn't please him, he would immediately pull another vanishing act.

I had long grown weary of this cat-and-mouse game and had tried to talk to him about it many times, but he seemed to relish it, getting a thrill from the power it gave him.

This time, I was going to disappoint him.

For lunch, I made Alessandro a divine tomato basil bisque.

"Elena, it's all my fault for not keeping a better eye on Vincent. I should have stopped him that day."

This time, Vincent had stopped by Alessandro's place right before taking off.

According to Alessandro, as soon as my call came through, Vincent guessed it was me. Without a second thought and ignoring Alessandro's protests, he grabbed his bag and bolted from the apartment.

"It's not your fault. You know how stubborn Vincent is. No one can stop him."

After we finished eating, Alessandro stood up, and I thought he was about to leave.

Instead, he picked up the laundry basket and headed into the bathroom.

An hour later, Alessandro emerged on the balcony.

He’d even done my laundry.

Vincent and I had been together for three years, and I was always the one who did his.

The clothesline on the balcony was a bit high, but Alessandro could reach it without even standing on his toes.

With his strong, rough fingers, he meticulously shook the wrinkles from the clothes. In the sunlight, those hands looked powerful and capable.

"Alessandro, why haven't you found a girlfriend yet?"

"I'm looking. Just haven't found the right one," Alessandro replied casually without turning around, continuing to hang the clothes.

"So what's your type? I have a few single friends. I can keep an eye out for you."

"Well, she should be about your height. She needs to be caring, have sexy lips, and ideally, be elegant, but also gentle and sweet..."

I chuckled. "Alessandro, why do I have a feeling I know the person you're describing?"

I came up behind him and took the hand he was using to hang the clothes, lacing my fingers through his.

"Alessandro, since Vincent doesn't want me anymore… why don't you have me instead?"

I wrapped my other arm around his waist and leaned gently into his back.

"Vincent's been gone for two weeks, and I've been making you bisque for two weeks. You have to take responsibility for me."

My lips brushed, as if by chance, over his earlobe, his cheek, his Adam's apple...

"Elena, you..."

I didn't let him finish.

The next second, I spun him around and kissed him squarely on the lips.

Alessandro was a graduate of a prestigious university and now ran an art investment company.

He was handsome, with a strong, straight nose and a chiseled physique with a defined eight-pack.

To outsiders, he was cold and imposing, like an untouchable summit—to be admired from a distance, but never reached.

I had rarely spoken to him myself.

I had first met him at an art auction.

He was sitting quietly in the VIP section.

I was stunned by his presence.

He carried an air of serene elegance, as if the grime of the mortal world couldn't touch him.

When he spoke, his deep-set eyes held a surprising warmth.

We became business partners.

Later, Vincent told me that he had privately arranged a collaboration with Alessandro.

He said Alessandro was a good friend and had only helped out for his sake.

Otherwise, a major player like Alessandro would never have considered working with a newcomer like me.

Technically, Alessandro was my client.

Every time our small group got together for dinner, Vincent loved to drag him along.

Alessandro was always by himself, silently drinking and eating, rarely participating in our lovers' quarrels or conversations.

Until the day Vincent disappeared. He came over.

He felt guilty for not being able to stop Vincent.

He said he wanted to check on me, to make sure I was holding up okay.

As a result, starting from that day, he and I had been having bisque together for two weeks straight.

I made different kinds every day, and he never seemed to get tired of it. It was just that this morning, I'd caught him splashing cold water on his face, trying to stop a sudden nosebleed.

Before, I had only seen him as a cold, untouchable figure who seemed completely removed from domestic life.

I never expected Alessandro to be so domestic.

Laundry, cooking, tending to the plants—he was good at everything.

When I came home, he would even come up behind me and massage my sore neck.

His technique was incredible; every time, a soothing warmth would spread through my shoulders, neck, and back.

Alessandro's attentiveness and care were things Vincent could never hope to match.

I cooked for Vincent for three years and did his laundry for three years, and even then, he would find something to complain about.

His latest disappearance happened after he went out drinking with friends and didn't stumble home until dawn. I laid into him, and maybe my words were a bit harsh.

When I woke up in the morning, the bed was empty.

He had run away again.

It was only today that I realized the brilliant idea of disappearing had come from Sophia.

Sophia was his childhood friend, and the two of them were so close they would sling their arms around each other right in front of me.

The last time he disappeared, my aunt used her connections to check the guest systems of almost every hotel in Manhattan, but she couldn't find him.

Now I strongly suspect that he was hiding at Sophia's place that time.

And this time, to better monitor me, he had pulled Alessandro into his scheme as well.

Just a little while ago, Alessandro had me pinned to the bed for three hours.

It wasn't until we had used up all the strawberry-flavored condoms I bought today that I reluctantly let him go.

Alessandro's phone, left on the bedside table, had been buzzing nonstop.

He didn't have a password, so I opened his chat with Vincent.

The last message was from yesterday morning.

Vincent: Did Elena go to the gallery today?

Alessandro: No, she took 5 days off to look for you everywhere. Her perfect attendance bonus for this month is down the drain again.

Vincent: What's a perfect attendance bonus? I'm way more important than her money, right? Lol.

I couldn't help but sneer when I read that.

Oh, Vincent. You drop tens of thousands a month on clothes alone, never wearing the same suit twice. Your sports car needs gas and maintenance, then there's rent, utilities… Every single bill paid by me. Easy for you to say. How the hell do you think I support your lavish lifestyle without money?

I continued reading.

Alessandro: If you don't love her, just break up. Don't waste her time.

Vincent: I do love her. Pretending to be on a mission is just one of my ways of showing I love and care about her.

Alessandro: ?

Vincent: Alessandro, you just don't get it, do you? Women need to be trained. You can't be too good to them. A little bit of tough love adds some spice.

Alessandro didn't reply to that.

A notification pinged from a group chat, catching my attention.

The group's name was "Art Collection Enthusiasts."

Vincent: Alessandro just told me Elena is still taking time off to search for me all over the world!

Sophia: Vincent, wasn't my idea brilliant?

Vincent: Haha, just wait, I'll reward you properly!

Sophia: Then tonight at the private club, the usual spot! Remember to wear that Armani shirt.

Vincent: No way! I just bought that today. I have to save it for the day Elena finds me!

Sophia immediately sent a crying emoji.

Vincent: Alright, alright, you can have a sneak peek tonight.

Sophia immediately sent a flirty sticker.

Someone named Ben said: I'm getting a bad feeling for Elena here.

Vincent immediately sent a pouting emoji: Sophia and I are just friends. We're totally innocent.

I snorted. Vincent, you were in a league of your own when it came to self-deception.

A new message popped up.

It was a private message from Vincent to Alessandro.

Vincent: Alessandro, did Elena ask you about what happened at the hotel that night?

I typed a question mark and hit send.